


Always Darkest (Before the Light)

by Macx



Category: Chicago Fire, Chicago Med
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Bonding, Developing Friendship, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Preternatural abilities, Supernatural Abilities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2020-11-28 10:10:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 42,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20964830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macx/pseuds/Macx
Summary: The moment Will Halstead locked eyes, and horns, with Connor Rhodes over the train crash victim, something rippled through him, alerted him to the fact that the new guy was more than he seemed.It was a sensation that never stopped, that drove him crazy, had him on edge, and that was more than just physical. Something connected them in a way Will only experienced when he initiated the switch.  His inability to pin down just what Rhodes was didn't help.He hated being blindsided.Especially when the animosity turned into something else, something Connor clearly wanted but didn't pursue.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So… I have no idea how I ended up writing Chicago Med. Really. I read some fanfic (stumbling from Chicago Fire fic into Chicago Med out of curiosity, WTH?!), started to watch scenes, then episodes, then got this idea, and from now on everything is an AU.  
It fits in no way with the development throughout all the seasons. I just took what I needed and started to run with it after a few episodes.  
Sorry to the hardcore fandom.  
This is as AU as it can get and should anyone know me from past fandoms you might just know where I'm going.

_"Who the hell is this guy?"_

_"Says he's a doc."_

The moment Dr. Will Halstead, senior ER resident, met Dr. Connor Rhodes, new trauma fellow at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, matters went downhill and never stopped, building up momentum as the days passed into weeks and into months.

Will had no idea why, but Rhodes rubbed him the wrong way. It had been just a brief exchange, establishing rank and hierarchy, establishing who was in charge, and while the eye contact had only lasted seconds, the spark had ignited something that started a low-key burn and was approaching small explosions along the way.

It wasn't the first time Will encountered a senior doctor who overrode him, but never like that.

Rhodes had come in like a knight in shining armor, saving lives, refusing to hand over a patient, actually pulling rank. He had come in as the man of the hour in the train crash, covered in blood, yelling orders. The new guy, already making an impression, capable, with a resume others would swoon over, but not Will. And someone who was also, on top of it all, quite handsome.

Will couldn't say that he hadn't noticed the handsome good looks. Many had. People reacted to that; men and women alike.

And something had whispered over his senses the moment they had locked eyes over the crash victim. Something powerful. Something preternatural.

Something rippled.

Between them.

Like low level currents of electricity.

It was there and gone again in a flash and Will wondered if he had ever truly felt it.

And then they had locked horns.

Will had pushed it away, furious about how the brief interaction had left him: feeling like he had lost the all-important fight. He had no idea why, hadn't really even caught a name of the guy who had refused to hand over the patient, but it had stung. Deeply.

It didn't help that Rhodes was loaded, came from a family with money to waste and burn, that he would surely advance just because of his name and history.

Will despised him out of spite.

Rich kid, handsome, successful, with money to pave the way, probably a father to remove all the bumps in the road.

Yeah, he despised him.

He fought the basic attraction, too.

He fought it with going out with whoever caught his fancy, though it rarely went any further than drinks, a movie, dinner, once or twice sex.

The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife sometimes.

A few weeks later, Halstead still wouldn't call the trauma surgeon a friend, but he had become more intrigued than annoyed with him and his methods.

Because something was clearly off about that man.

Something was different. On a level few people could truly perceived, but Will knew it. Instinctually. Now that he had finally let go of the animosity and stubborn opposition he felt rising whenever Connor did something, he had become aware of it.

Something was…

He sensed it. With every fiber of his being.

So he let the annoyance go and just worked with Rhodes, bit back on the automatic defenses, let himself become a watcher.

Something inside of him reacted strongly, felt something… something that seemed incredibly compatible to his own preter-side, which was alarming all by itself.

He shouldn't be feeling this way! Will Halstead had no other, missing half. It was not how his abilities worked! He could become what was needed, but never completely, to match any given super or preter who needed temporary aid.

Will couldn't put his finger on it, which irked him even more than the mere existence of Dr. Connor Rhodes. It had never happened before, so his inability to pin down just what triggered his natural ability to tell just who and what someone was when it came to the preter- and supernatural had Will on edge even more.

And always, always!, something prickled along his senses. Teasing him. Whispering against him, muted but powerful.

It was driving him mad. Rhodes was driving him mad! It had nothing to do with seniority anymore, but despite his best intentions, the annoyance rose again, manifesting in glares and sharp words.

So they clashed even more, mostly away from patients, but sometimes in front of coworkers. Will took the slightest perceived infringement, personal insult or even the mere opinion the other man had to let his temper get the better of him.

He wanted a rise out of Connor. He wanted to know what the man was, to bring it out past those damned shields the other insisted on keeping around his core, and finally appease the part in Will that was restlessly pacing at the borders of his mind, snarling and spitting at his absolute loss when it came to Rhodes.

But there was nothing.

He refused to lose sleepless nights over that.

He also refused to play nice when the other man so clearly didn't make attempts either. He wouldn't hold back on an opinion and he sure as hell wouldn't just knuckle under, fellow or not fellow.

Until the DNR patient. And the first time they went for drinks together at Molly's. Connor paid, but Will didn't fight him on that, though he had fought him on buying lunch breaks. He hated the reminder that the guy came from serious money, that he had it to throw around, while Will scraped together what he could to splurge a little now and then on his medical allowance.

He didn't want charity. Lunch bought by Rhodes was charity when it came to one Dr. William Halstead, though his friends and colleagues had no qualms accepting free food.

Will had. Lots of qualms and some serious, personal issues.

So he rather went hungry than join in on the offer to buy a round of sandwiches or tacos.

Molly's was okay, though Will stuck with generic beer, never too expensive stuff, and he didn't order snacks.

Connor did and they ended up sharing.

Damn the man!

Rhodes stood him up the second time, which chafed Will more than he would ever confess to, but when he saw the other man the next morning, looking like death warmed over and in no mood to play their usual games, he pushed his anger aside.

Sometimes they lost patients. Patients who had looked good, had been stable; patients who had never had a chance to begin with, but they had been hopeful. And Patients who touched something in their doctors.

The young woman Connor had lost on the table had been such a person; she had touched something inside the experienced doctor.

Will reached out and offered a second try at Molly's. This time it happened and they mostly drank in silence, exchanging few words, but Will listened to the little that was said. He heard more than Connor was probably comfortable with, and he wondered if the other was an empath.

Then again, it didn't fit the rest of the whole picture. It didn't fit Rhodes!

Nothing fit! Will wanted to tear out his hair and bite his nails. Why was it so hard? He could nail most abilities in his sleep but this one!

Empaths didn't go into medicine to become trauma surgeons or ER doctors. They went into psychology and social sciences. They were therapists. Latent empaths usually had nursing positions.

So, no.

Connor might have been blindsided by what the loss of the patient had done to him emotionally, but he had bounced back.

Halstead still chewed on the enigma this man was, not getting anywhere.

It didn't help that with their developing personal relationship came a renewed interest in the man himself. The attraction was still there, had always been there. Low-key, sometimes flaring at the most inopportune moments, but there was also an invisible wall that had something to do with what Connor really was.

They had started a tentative work relationship that had developed into an also tentative friendship. With ups and downs.

But it was a start.

Rocky, with some full stops and detours, but he was trying to get to know the other man, not just the trauma surgeon.

Because Connor was a puzzle Will wanted to solve for his own sanity. He needed to understand what his senses were trying to tell him, why they pulled and pushed him closer, only to shut down and leave him reeling.

Working together grew smoother. Their clashes were over mundane things, their arguments about a treatment or the best course of action almost tame.

They talked more.

Their relationship changed.

Will started to call Connor a friend, at least in his head.

He started to accept lunch treats when it was just the two of them, no other doctors or nurses with them.

Connor would give him those small smiles, almost thankful, and he never pressured him into returning the gesture, though Halstead insisted to even the balance by buying at Molly's.

Sometimes the smiles were shyly flirtatious; so not fitting the hard-ass, commanding presence in the ED. Such a contradiction.

Nothing came of them, though.

And Will became aware of aborted moves, of Connor wanting to be closer and stopping himself, of something in those eyes, like a longing. For a while Will suspected that his colleague was not sure about his preferences, but that was off the table not much later. Connor was clearly not just now discovering he was attracted to men and women.

Because he ignored every kind of flirtation from women and other men, too. Patients, paramedics, fire crew, law enforcement, you name it. He turned down clear offers and some very blatant come-ons. The man simply didn't let anyone get close. And if he was roped into a drink or shared lunch, he never followed up on it.

As for the fact that they were working at the same hospital, the same ED? No, Will doubted that was it either.

Connor held back from getting involved with anyone. The handsome ER fellow with money to burn, the man who could have anyone with just a look and a smile, didn't. All of his relationships were professional, not personal.

All but one.

Because he clearly wanted more with one Dr. Will Halstead. He sought out Will's opinion sometimes, dropped by the breakroom when Will was drinking coffee just to chat, and when they were alone, he stood closer than was just between friends. He seemed to lean closer without physically moving, his whole body loosened up, muscles no longer so tense, and sometimes he would just close his eyes and… be.

Will was mesmerized in those brief moments, hardly daring to breathe or twitch a muscle. He felt it, his senses logging onto the other man, trying to... what? It was like he was back in his teenage years, working on understanding his skills, his abilities, how mimicking worked, and failing so many times.

_Who the hell are you, Rhodes?_ he thought frantically. _What are you? What is this?_

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

Their lunches had turned into a regular thing, with or without added company. Sometimes they talked, sometimes just ate in a companionable silence that left Will more refreshed and relaxed than he had ever felt. They met up for a quick pick-me-up coffee or consulted on cases. Molly's saw them a few nights a week. They had the same shifts, came and went mostly around the same time, and whenever Will needed to switch, Connor offered.

The first time that had happened, he had been almost antagonistic just because it had been Rhodes offering to do him a favor. The second time had been a much smoother affair, with a few more colleague switching their assigned shifts around until everyone was happy.

And Will found he was quite comfortable and, yeah, well maybe kind of happy, to work alongside Rhodes.

They were getting comfortable with each other, closer than before, and Connor seemed to lean into Will's senses, so familiar by now, so very welcome. It was like going on dates, but without ever saying the word or defining those meetings as such.

Connor never took the last step, though.

There were only the smiles when Will happened to pick up another shift to make ends meet, a shift that coincided with Connor's. There was standing around pizza delivered to their breakroom, sharing the last slices.

And Will wanted to scream in frustration at yet another mystery that surrounded the other man.

Why not do something about what he so clearly wanted, what they both wanted? Why stop himself? Nothing Will could come up with on the preter- and supernatural spectrum fit the behavior. Nothing at all.

By now his senses were screaming, too. They were always on high alert, drawn to whatever Connor was, clearly in tune with the other man's very energy, even though he felt next to nothing outside of a little blip here or there.

Jay was both sympathetic and also fed up with his brother's rants about Dr. Connor Rhodes, super-annoying, super-mysterious superman.

"I don't know what crawled up your ass, Will, but you need to either let it go or push through it. What is it with you and Rhodes? Why is he hitting all your buttons one moment and then you hang out like best buds the next?"

"I wish I knew," Will answered, nursing a beer.

"You've never been this obsessed with pinpointing an ability."

"Yeah."

"And you've got a pretty good success rate."

"Rub it in, willya!"

Molly's was moderately busy and his gaze roamed the room, finding familiar faces. For a moment his eyes and senses lingered on Lieutenant Kelly Severide, then he frowned as he felt less of a pull than usual when it came to the alpha preternatural. Normally he had to tread lightly around the man, though they only ever met in the ER or sometimes at Molly's. His shields prevented Will from fully logging onto the powerful preter and doing something stupid, which was probably for the best. He really didn't want to get any closer than he had to on a good day. Severide didn't need any help keeping his abilities under control, as he had found out the hard way, and Will was all the more glad for it.

Jay's brows climbed a little. "Huh."

Will blinked. "What?"

"You look less… tense than usual around Kelly."

"What?" he repeated.

"C'mon, Will…"

He scowled at his brother.

Jay snorted. "You're one of the few preters in existence who can actively log onto any other preter or super out there, copy them, make their abilities yours, Will. That's what sets him off. You can get under their skin. If you wanted to, you could threaten bonds by just being in the same room."

"I wouldn't…!" he hissed, then stopped and pinched his eyes. "What I did was trying to help him! It's what I do and you know it. He knows it!"

"And now you know just what lurks behind those ruggedly handsome good looks." Jay tilted his head. "But that's not it. You're not even twitching, Will. Which is surprising. Last time you two faced off over Casey's unconscious body I thought he was going feral for a moment. Ever since you've been on egg shells around him. So, what gives today?"

Will grimaced and took a long swallow of beer. Not one of his brighter moments, trying to anchor someone in a protective mode, invading a mate-bond, and trying to calm him down. No one had really been aware of what had happened in those mere seconds, except Severide, Will and Jay, who had been on the scene. And maybe Choi, who had looked up from his own patient to assess the situation.

He had apologized to the lieutenant when Casey was sleeping in one of the rooms. Severide had accepted it and for just a moment Will Halstead had thanked any deity out there that he still had all his limbs attached.

After that, their relationship had become a little less strained and when Casey woke, the pressure Will had felt inside the lieutenant had dropped abruptly.

"Something's going on with you, Will," Jay finally said into the continued silence. "Even I can see it. You and Rhodes. Oil and water. And still… there's something, right? You have changed."

"That's all you can contribute? I know something's going on, Jay! I know it's affecting me, and him. I know something's keeping him from… from doing what he so clearly wants."

"Like… doing you?"

Will groaned at the bad pun. "Jay…"

"Just sayin'."

"Connor isn't the kind of super or preter that initiates bonds or whatever."

"Oh? Do tell." Jay grinned.

"Fuck off."

"I would, but you're paying and I intend to get the most out of it."

Will chuckled briefly, glad for the momentary lightness. Jay hadn't inherited the same form of ability as his brother. He had a good sixth sense, which was most likely more of a little precognition, honed by his military training, and two of his senses were slightly heightened, but not to make him stand out to anyone. He needed no anchoring and he rarely if ever had trouble using his abilities. The military had happily employed him and the police had been equally happy to make use of his talents.

"It doesn't feel like that kind of pull," Will finally said.

"Got experience, hm?"

"Yes and no. Doesn't work that way. Mimicry can't copy a bond. I can mimic what the other needs. I can only alleviate the symptoms of separation by making the receptive believe he is anchored to another mind or soul. But that's all. A copy."

Jay nodded. "So Connor's not doing that?"

"No."

At least not in the way he had felt in other talented before. Will prided himself for his abilities, how he had honed his senses, how he was pretty much the best. Connor stumped him.

"But he's doing something?"

He sighed and gestured for the waitress to bring him another beer. "Something," he echoed.

"You crossed out the most obvious already, I take it?"

It got him a glare. "Of course."

"Just checking."

"Sometimes I think he's alpha material. Compared to Severide or your boss he's kind of tame, though."

Jay snorted and accepted a new bottle from their waitress, too. "You don't want to be in the same room with Voight when he drops all pretense of civility. Shifters are intense already, and then there's Voight."

"Connor's not like them. I don't really… get it? All the markers are wrong. No shifter, not a multi-aspect preter, nothing on the empathic spectrum, not even an elemental."

"Not much left."

No, there wasn't. Only obscure stuff. And whatever else Will could think of was highly unlikely for a doctor. No sane biokinetic would choose to be a trauma surgeon. He could burn himself out within a day.

"There are so many walls and so much control!" He shook his head. "Insane amount of walls. But it flares sometimes."

"Flares?"

"The only way I can describe it. Like, for a moment it's there and powerful, and then there's just Rhodes again. Drives me insane not getting more!"

"You sure he's not a Sentinel? Doesn't have to be multi-aspect."

"He isn't."

"You might be wrong."

He glared at his brother. "He isn't, Jay! I know what even a one-aspect feels like! He isn't one! He's something else and it's right there and I can't…!" He broke off, frustration rising. "I just can't."

"You gotta get a grip on it, Will," Jay advised.

Yes, he had to.

But it was hard.

And it didn't get any better.

"You work with the guy. If it bothers you, you could just ask him, y'know. Novel idea, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Right."

"You get into anyone's face, no matter what, but with him you hold back?"

"I wouldn't call our… interactions holding back," he snapped.

Jay had the audacity to laugh.

And those interactions ran through Will's mind, how Connor had given him access to records without asking why, actually stopping him from explaining himself. How he had just… done it. After Will had outright told him that he knew Connor didn't like him, that they didn't get along.

"This is so screwed up," he muttered, raking his fingers through his hair again.

The scuffle in the elevator came back, branded into his mind. Connor had saved his ass, his license. He had stopped him from doing something tremendously stupid. The moment where he had thought he felt something from the other man, but then it was gone like it had been simply wishful thinking. That pressure against his shields, testing… for a fraction of a second.

But testing what?

If he was the kind of preter or super that might be bonding material? Will highly doubted it. As much as Rhodes commanded respect, as much as the quiet competence and sure, firm way he held himself screamed power, he didn't see him as shifter or, even worse, a Sentinel.

Even though the man was protective as hell, went the extra mile for his patients, stuck his head out, went over more experienced surgeons' heads… and the list went on. On that list was also how he had protected Will's ass, calling him a good doctor.

Someone who had told him that they weren't really friends, couldn't stand each other… and who had become friends over time nevertheless. Connor Rhodes. Enigma. Total enigma.

Will tiredly shook his head. "I'm screwed."

"Tell me about it. Really, I wish you would, bro."

"Wish I knew what to tell. I can't describe what makes me feel so on edge around him, and then totally at ease the next moment! I would hit the books, but there is nothing I haven't read before either! Not like I can talk to anyone on that matter."

Which summed up his whole problem.

Something was there. Powerful and completely walled off. It was niggling at him, whispering, close but hidden.

Jay watched him, silent, waiting.

"Thanks," Will said after a while.

"Hey, no sweat. Not sure how I could have helped, but hey."

He finished off his beer and called it a night. He wouldn't find an answer tonight.

It was raining when he stepped out of Molly's and he sighed. Just his luck. But a little water didn't hurt, so Will walked to the next stop, the drizzle a constant companion, and took the bus.

His mind was running through all the possibilities, to everything he knew was out there, preternaturally or supernaturally.

Nothing really fit.

Nothing at all.

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

Up until the day Rhodes came back from a long weekend, featuring a full beard instead of the usual scruff, and looking like he hadn't slept more than an hour in all that time, Will had not found an answer to the ever-growing mystery that was Dr. Connor Rhodes.

Their friendship had passed the tentative testing stage and had led to regularly shared drinks and coffees, the odd meetings in breakrooms or empty treatment rooms for a moment of peace and quiet. But there was still a distance, one maintained by Connor only. He was friendly with everyone, he smiled and laughed, he was one of them, but he still didn't date or do more than talk to the obvious flirtations from pharma refs, visiting doctors or patient relatives.

With Will there was more. The expressions reserved for when they were alone, the obvious change in his behavior, the way he actively sought out Will to decompress after a harrying surgery or ER case. The way he looked… vulnerable… for lack of a better word, when they were alone together.

Like when he had to tell the parents of a young girl, not even ten, that she wouldn't wake up after a bad fall at the playground. That she had bled into her brain, that her heart had stopped for fifteen long minutes, that the catastrophic hemorrhaging was a death sentence.

Will had simply sat with him, outside in the cold evening air, listening, shoulders touching, feeling the man reach out for him on levels he had never felt before.

Try as he might, Will couldn't get the blips he got to make sense. Sure, he could ask, but Halstead was pretty sure he wouldn't get an answer.

And there was the tiny chance that Rhodes had no idea what he was. A small percentage of supers and preters didn't know they had abilities, so maybe Connor was one of them.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

It was driving him crazy and he was taking it out on the man he was trying to figure out, getting closer, then giving in to his temper and irritation the next time.

There was banter, there were sharper barbs, there were friendly moments as they exchanged not just medical opinions but a few private snippets, and suddenly there was a moment where Will was his antagonistic self for no apparent reason. Even he couldn't say just what had set him off, aside from maybe being the recipient of whatever Rhodes was all the time.

It was a rollercoaster ride that was making Will dizzy, too.

Sometimes he had the impression that they were testing the waters, kind of like dating but not really dating, and then it was back to the arguments and heated glares. Well, Will was the one glaring and Connor just gave him that hard look, the one filled with a weird kind of heat itself, but accompanied by something Will's brain tried desperately to categorize.

Power.

Not political, not monetary, just power. Old and well-honed, kept locked up behind impenetrable walls, and it had him shiver inside.

He wanted to know.

It was almost an obsession now.

So as the man in question walked into the ED, Will's alarms were screaming, his senses overloading with something he couldn't categorize, something he had never felt before with such force, and he felt his whole body… shift. Not physically. It was as if all of him was rearranging itself, down to his very soul, finally getting a strong read off the other man and reacting in a way he had never done around any preter- or supernatural.

Halstead felt the world shift with him, his senses growing fuzzy, then sharpening so abruptly it almost gave him vertigo and whiplash in one.

He drew a shaky breath.

What the fuck?!

He held on to the wall like it was the only thing keeping him in this reality, that without contact he would simply… switch from one existence to the next, and his heart hammered in his chest. He forced his breathing back to normal, eyes screwed shut, and as suddenly as it had happened, as suddenly it disappeared, leaving him reeling.

Will opened his eyes and stared after Connor, who had turned around the corner to change into his scrubs, and he was only too glad he had been in the semi-dark breakroom alone.

The whole episode hadn't even taken two minutes.

It had felt like a tectonic shift of impossible proportions had happened.

*

"Care to tell me what's going on with you?"

Will looked up from his third coffee in what felt just as many minutes. His eyes were burning like he hadn't slept for the last twenty-four hours, his mind felt like sludge, and he was trembling a little. On the inside, he was rattling around like a bowling ball inside a steel cage. He was both exhausted and utterly wired in one.

Maggie stood inside the breakroom, arms crossed in front of her chest, a no-nonsense expression giving Will a first inkling as to how much crap she was ready to put up with.

As one of the few people to actually know who and what Will truly was, she had probably had a first row seat in the special feature of the Halstead-Rhodes show.

"He's driving me crazy," he answered, fingers clenching around the empty mug, wondering if a fourth coffee would actually help or just make his condition worse.

"Not news, Dr. Halstead. And it only got worse lately. What happened?"

"I didn't hit him, if that's what you're asking."

"I hope not. You keep shooting off your mouth, but you never let your fists follow."

"Actually, we haven't really talked in a week."

Ever since he came back. Ever since Connor Rhodes had returned from his trip to wherever looking worse than before he went.

She raised her eyebrows. The door fell closed behind her and Maggie gestured at the table. Will just sat down, too tired to fight.

"Talk."

"Maggie…"

"No, Will. I know you. Something's up and it's not just the job or the whole resident against fellow thing of old. You're both attending now. You got along so much better. I have eyes, doctor," she added at his quizzically surprised look. "I'd call you friends, for lack of a better word. So, it's the other half of you. Talk."

So he did. Maggie just listened, all too knowledgeable in these matters, despite her low-level abilities. Will had never so much as gotten a tingle when he was close to her, never reacting to the small fraction of preternatural inside her. Maggie's abilities were so low-level, she didn't really stand out, unless someone like Will really concentrated on it.

And she was very much okay with it. Empathy wasn't all the fun it sounded like and just being able to relate to people, to project her authority in the controlled chaos that was Med's ED, to calmly get people to settle down and work with her, was enough.

"Sounds like you logged on to whatever Dr. Rhodes is after you just skimmed along the surface of his abilities," she finally said. "In a very sudden and strong way."

"Yeah. Not news to me. But why and how? Why him? All that time… and now he's suddenly… so incredibly… intense."

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, covered in a three day old five o'clock shadow. He dragged his fingers through his already unruly hair.

Will had taken massive precautions never to get overwhelmed. It had been a struggle from the day he had realized he was able to mimic others' abilities and he had since learned to lock everything up inside and just work with the other side of his abilities: anchor those losing control without actually standing out as the one doing it.

Usually it were trauma patients, sometimes stressed-out relatives, and sometimes those who had tried to rescue the victims: police and firefighters.

He never revealed himself. He never lost control. He was good. He was an island, walled-off, protecting himself from losing his own control. He had never lost control; ever. No super or preter had forced him to adapt and mimic.

Until a week ago.

"How could this happen, Maggie?" he groaned, sounding almost desperate. "The low level stuff was acceptable. I might have been able to live with not knowing why and what he is, but that? This psychic blow?"

Will got up and paced the small room, nervous energy trying to get out.

"And why was I the only one to react? I can give you three names of receptive preters, two of them on the empathic scale, who were there when he came in! There wasn't so much as an eye-twitch! It was only me!"

"It amazes me how dumb a doctor can be," she sighed.

"What?"

"You had already opened up to him, Will," she said gently, meeting the dark eyes. "Emotionally. You like him, even if you have a really twisted way of showing it."

He made a protesting noise, but Maggie's stern look had him fall silent again.

"You attached yourself to whatever he is, mimicking or anchoring, or something between. He draws you in. You are attracted to him on more than just a physical level, though I would be the last to say he isn't good on the eyes."

"Maggie…"

"I have eyes," she told him. "Good eyes. And instincts. You and him, there is something. You react to him verbally, physically, mentally. Whatever happened that hit you so badly, and only you, it must have been worse for Dr. Rhodes. Something happened to him between when he left and now came back."

"It felt… like I had no defenses. Like it just… took… claimed…"

She raised her eyebrows. Will refused to fall for the silent prod.

"Talk to him," she suggested. "Without insults, without yelling, without behaving like two little boys fighting over who gets to play in the sandbox."

He grimaced. Yes, he had been stand-offish, sullen, almost childish sometimes.

Maggie smiled kindly. "I know it's not easy, but something he is calls to you, Will. Strongly. You shifted into whatever he is, without actually knowing, without being able to identify what he is. Instinctually. As if that isn't a clue."

"Which is the worst part."

Halstead had experienced shifts before, could tell apart the most common abilities, but this…? Completely out of the left field.

"That's a big, fat clue, Doctor. Talk," she repeated.

Good advice.

Just, when it came to them, maybe not the best option.

"And then, maybe, get it off the table. Both of you." She raised her eyebrows again. "The tension between you two is enough to make the room smolder."

"What?!"

Maggie quirked a half-smile. "You think no one has noticed? Everybody knows you have started to like each other. You keep circling, Will. All the time. And it's driving me crazy! Now that I know it's something you pick up from him and he probably picks up from you, go and get it over with! Before you implode!"

With that she rose and left the room.

Will remained behind, head spinning.

It wasn't getting any better as days passed by.

Not by a longshot.

Actually, things were getting worse for Will as victims from a bus crashing into a construction site came in. ED was controlled chaos and he and Connor were weaving among the beds and stretchers. Maggie was assigning rooms and doctors, calm and competent, completely in her element. Med hadn't gotten all the victims as there had been too many for one ER to handle, but five were enough.

The steady thrum coming from Connor was powerful, enveloping Will and pushing him on even as fatigue set in, and they worked seamlessly together. No arguing, no second guessing, just side by side and in tune. He followed orders, yelling out his own, getting no contradiction from the more senior surgeon.

Connor was a vortex of power, of such force he should be turning every preter or super's head, but no one gave him a second look. The only one affected was Will. It all ran through him and he was siphoning it with an ease rooted deeply in his mimicry skills.

"Is there an end to this?" Halstead muttered as he sent off a young woman with complicated fractures in both legs to the OR.

She had been bleeding from a severed artery and the tourniquet had barely helped keep the rest of the blood she hadn't lost inside. There were fluids all over the floor, littered freely with medical supplies. It was a mess.

It had been touch and go.

She still wasn't in any way out of the woods just yet. Ortho had a hell of a job to do now.

Tired gray eyes, reflecting a bone-deep weariness, looked up from the bin where Connor had dumped his bloodied gloves and scrubs. There was a brief quirk of the other man's lips, sympathetic, almost private. For a long second they were in their own world, that weird pulse between them, and Will wanted to ask, wanted an answer, but he couldn't bring himself to form the words.

Then Connor was called away to the next case.

That tiny smile had managed to shoot right into Will's very soul. He had felt a limitless power for the fraction of a second, and Halstead had to force himself to go to the next trauma patient, working on automatic.

Emergency rooms were not hectically busy as a rule. There were downtimes, with shifts consisting of a few easy cases of bad headaches, broken bones or a kid with bad sniffles and overprotective parents.

Then there were the rushes as something bad happened, something with multiple victims or some very bad injuries that had all hands on deck.

The bus accident had been cleared an hour ago, everyone either in surgery, transferred to other wards or waiting for relatives to pick them up. Will had used the time to get some rest, still wired despite feeling tired, and he had thankfully crashed on a bed in the on-call room for a few minutes.

The few minutes lasted an hour, then his pager shrilled and he groaned softly.

"More incoming!" Maggie's voice rang through the ED, alerting everyone who wasn't already with a patient to a new wave of people in need of medical attention. "Three confirmed, possible fourth with burns and toxic inhalation!"

The first crew was already pushing their patient through the doors and Maggie assigned them a treatment room.

"What happened?" Connor asked, all professionalism and self-assured command power.

"Not sure," the paramedic answered briskly. "House fire. Found them inside, all unconscious, chemicals everywhere."

Connor nodded and was already barking out orders.

Will followed swiftly, taking over the second victim as Ethan took the third.

It was bad.

It was really, really bad.

Aside from chemical burns so severe that one of them might lose her fingers, there were respiratory problems for one patient and another was starting to hallucinate, having almost psychotic episodes.

Ethan sent his to surgery, hoping to save at least the fingers on one hand.

Connor had to intubate, his patient only breathing because of the machine, and only after they had brought him back from heart failure halfway through the treatment of his lung problems.

Police arrived, told them that those they were treating had apparently been experimenting with household chemicals after watching online videos. The fire had destroyed the house. Two firefighter were currently being treated at another ER for inhalation.

Will went outside when the worst was over, the icy air a welcome refresher, and he inhaled deeply. Despite the low temperatures and the snow that had started to come down, he had only thrown on a jacket, welcoming the cold.

Someone held out a coffee and he looked into the drawn, exhausted face of Connor Rhodes. Part of him had been highly aware of the other's approach, easily picking up the intense energy surrounding him. Another part had apparently decided that all of that, those waves lapping back and forth between them, waves only he seemed to feel, were quite alright.

The other doctor dredged up a half-smile, looking somehow disheveled. Strands of dark hair hung into his forehead. "Thought you might need one."

The coffee was from the food truck near-by, the biggest size the cups came in, and it was heaven-sent. It was like a peace offering, though they hadn't clashed at all.

"Thanks," he managed, valiantly stopping himself from analyzing what he was getting on all sensory fronts.

Will Halstead wasn't a Sentinel. He wasn't an empath. He was just a mimic and that mimic was still clinging to what Connor Rhodes was with a fervor. He didn't want to shield, he didn't want to stop it. It felt… amazing; invigorating. He wanted; wanted to feel this way around Connor, and he wanted…

Will bit down on that.

Connor sat down next to him, equally only wearing his jacket, breath clouding in front of him, mixing with the steam from the cup. He looked as wrecked as Will felt, despite the energy he gave off. Again he felt as if the other man was leaning closer, seeking him out, needing the closeness, and he probably wasn't even aware of it.

They sat in companionable silence and Will's eyes strayed to the other man, taking in the complexion, the tiredness in every line of his body, and he knew he probably looked just the same.

But there was something inside him, his very soul, that was burning brightly, hotly, pushing it at Will at every opportunity. And Halstead was only too receptive to it. He was incredibly tempted to touch what he saw, reach out and wrap his fingers around Connor's wrist, to just… feel. He was drawn to it like a moth to the flame.

Connor looked at him, those exhausted eyes sparking with something, as if he had just now made a connection. His mouth opened as if to say something.

An insistent beeping had Rhodes look at his pager and a resigned expression crossed his features. With a rueful smile at Will he rose stiffly and dumped the rest of his coffee.

Time to be a trauma surgeon again.

Will watched him go, that strange pull he felt doubling as the other man disappeared inside the ED.

tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

Talking was normally highly overrated. And talking was difficult when all Will wanted to do was to slam the other man against the wall and make him spill what he was to finally have an answer.

He fought that notion.

Instead he watched Connor as he cleaned up after the harrying rush of trauma patients. There was blood everywhere and the way Connor moved, he was ready to drop dead on the next available couch, but there was also a core of steel, a line of power pile a live wire, running straight through his soul. It was burning bright and beautiful.

Will knew Connor had picked up extra hours when one of their colleagues had unexpectedly called in sick from a stomach flu, so that meant he had had little sleep and the crash had forced everyone to their feet as victims had piled in, followed by the chemical accident. With the emergency being over and someone else there to take over the shift from their sick colleague, it was time to go home.

Rhodes stood with his back to him, hands on the sink, head hanging between his shoulders, on the brink of total shutdown.

Will had been there. They all had.

The tingle shooting through him, that renewed need to be close, to touch, caught Halstead unawares and he clenched his hands into fists.

Not again! What the hell was going on?

He was sure this wasn't some kind of bonding call. Mimics could copy everything but that. He would never be able to connect to any kind of super or preter who was capable of bonding to a mate. Which was actually Mother Nature's plan, since mimics weren't meant to replace a bond mate. He knew he would be in all kinds of trouble if that could ever happened.

Severide came to mind, and his murderous expression when he had sensed Will and had suspected the other man of interfering with a connection that meant everything to him.

He was also pretty sure Rhodes wasn't a shape-shifter. Those Will could pinpoint right away. They were a sharp, intense presence, hard to miss. Connor also didn't come across as someone with heightened senses. Some made it into the medical profession, mostly heightened sight or a sense of touch, but Halstead was almost one hundred percent sure that Connor wasn't one of them. Maybe an elemental? But then he would have to be quite proficient in controlling that. Considering that their arguments hadn't resulted in hail storms or earthquakes, Will might see him as either very much in control or not as an elemental. Probably the latter.

Their eyes met as Connor looked up. For a moment it was like the air stood still, as if something was about to happen.

"You look like crap."

Great, Will, he thought to himself. Great opener.

It got him a wry smile. "Look who's talking."

Rhodes turned to his locker and the moment broke.

Will felt off kilter, almost dizzy.

'Talk', Maggie had said. Just like his brother had pushed that oh so simple but very complicated advice at him.

Not at the hospital, where anyone could walk in.

Not at Molly's, where too many ears might pick something up.

Not in some kind of other official setting.

So that meant somewhere private.

Like Connor's home.

*

Will decided that the only way he could do this was to walk right up and come straight to the point.

No more beating around the bush. No more excuses.

So that was what he did.

Connor stared at him, eyes wide, jaw muscles working. He still looked pale, like he hadn't slept all that well or hadn't really caught up to sleeping so far. He was dressed in dark gray sweat pants and a black t-shirt. And he looked… thinner without actually having lost weight. Like a breath could topple him. Just a shadow of himself.

"Mimic?" he whispered, shell-shocked.

"Yes," Will declared with a fake, bright smile. He spread his arms like presenting the next great act in this show. "Able to latch onto another's abilities and copy them, turning myself into whatever they are. Comes with the funny second ability to anchor another preter or super to stop them from losing control."

Connor swallowed hard, almost looking gray around the edges. Raw emotions flitted over his features, too fast for Will to identify, but incredibly powerful nonetheless.

"And even more funny when it really hits you out of the blue because one of your colleagues happens to be something you have no idea about!"

Something shivered between them and Connor gave him a startled look. Halstead frowned in confusion.

For a moment those eyes were completely open, the whole man was an open book, radiating longing, want, even lust. It was so sudden, it took Will's breath away. There was a powerful aura around him, a pinprick of something deep within the gray eyes finally unfolding, and it was breathtaking.

"What the fuck, Connor? What are you?"

Okay, so that wasn't the best way to start talking about a possibly sensitive subject matter. As a doctor he was much better breaching such topics, approaching relatives and patients in his care, but with Connor… all bets were off.

Rhodes' whole demeanor changed and Will saw the walls come up, the shutters slam down, and the moment the other doctor turned, he grabbed his arm.

"No way, Connor!"

The point of contact seemed to spark something inside him, had Halstead freeze for a long second, their eyes meeting, and Connor shivered, exhaling sharply.

"Will…" he managed. "Don't."

The surge that came next had Will screw his eyes shut, his whole body thrumming, and the very energy was almost too much to bear as it raked over his very soul. His whole body adjusted abruptly, becoming more, becoming Connor.

"Shit! What…?" he managed. "What the hell are you?!"

It was everywhere. It was sheer power. It was absolutely, insanely… there. All in this one man. It was under his skin, burning, hissing, coiling, and all Will could do was… be. Anyone else would be unable to do what the mimic was doing, the only preternatural in the world to channel this.

As suddenly as it had come, he felt the world realigning itself, the rough feeling around the edges smoothing over.

He gasped. "Connor…"

Arms came around him, the energy between them running from wild to tame, enveloping him, pulling him closer to the presence next to him.

He was that energy. Everything else before had been a pale shadow. He might have mimicked this man, but never for real. Now, touching Rhodes, it had been almost like a last piece of the puzzle sliding in, making it whole, real, absolute.

He exhaled sharply.

"Sorry. Sorry. I didn't know," Connor whispered, lips against his ear, the scratch of his beard a welcome distraction. "Gawd, I didn't…"

"And I want to know!" Halstead snarled, adrenaline surging through him, though he wasn't moving out of the embrace. Actually, moving would probably result in falling flat on his face right now. The vertigo was that bad.

A soft chuckle, tired, almost defeated, had him fight goosebumps.

"How about we find a better place than the floor?"

Will managed a rough laugh. He hadn't even been consciously aware of going down. He didn't want to move. Didn't want to open his eyes. Didn't want to lose the contact they had.

Because it felt incredibly good. Warm. Intimate. Right. Oh so right. Like nothing ever had before. The sandpapery feel of before was gone. The power surge had left him with a never before felt sensation. Like wrapped in a protective layer that would burn everyone but him.

Intimate, yes. So very, very intimate.

And that alone should have him push away, pull his shields up and fight for a semblance of normalcy.

"Will?"

He didn't want to, but he moved.

Onto the armchair, Connor sitting down opposite on a footrest, elbows on his knees, looking so much more put together than he had any right to be. Will felt like he was coming apart at the seams, his own ability churning through him, fluctuating so badly right now, he was glad they weren't at Molly's.

Especially should Severide and Casey be there too. He would probably trigger either of them into doing something very bad.

His instinctual part was trying to anchor whatever Connor was, and another part was already very much that entity.

"Will."

He looked into the impossibly gray eyes, their color suddenly unnatural and too intense.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know about you," Connor said.

"Yeah, makes two of us," he rasped.

"I made sure to know what kind of preters or supers worked ED. Your name was… not on that list."

"Only two people know."

_Great. Spill your soul, Halstead!_

Connor smiled ruefully. "That explains it."

"Like no one knows what you are?" he challenged, finding some of that old spitefulness.

"One knows."

"Goodwin."

A nod.

Hell, great! Maggie knew now too, because Will had talked about it with her. Not that it was a topic for now. Later. Much later. Maybe.

"I sensed something from you the moment we met, but I could never put my finger on it. Which was unsettling. You're something incredibly strong, but also incredibly dormant."

Rhodes briefly closed his eyes. "Yes."

"And you triggered when you went on that long weekend."

That got him a wince. "In a way. Yes. No. Not like you'd think. I know what I am. I'm actually quite aware of it."

"Not the first time you did what you did and that kicked me in the nuts?" Halstead hazarded a guess, finally focusing his senses on the other man.

He felt it. Still did and it wasn't going away, though Connor had raised those walls again in an almost desperate attempt. It was old. It was refined. A little ragged right now, like it was looking for something.

An anchor?

Was Will unconsciously anchoring? It didn't feel like it. He had never anchored without knowing he was doing it.

And all he really did was copy Connor's whatever-he-fucking-was ability. That power in him, curled just underneath his skin, reacted to the mimicry. It was like an interest on a purely supernatural level, something bright and hot.

"You're a nightmare, Connor Rhodes!" he snapped as his emotions got the better of him, breaking the silence.

And Rhodes flinched, almost physically reeling back. His hands were tightly clenched, the knuckles standing out white against tightly drawn skin.

Will groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Sorry. I'm… on edge. I know I can be an ass. Have been an ass. To you. You put me on edge. Whatever this is…" He gestured between them.

He still felt those tingles, little eddies of energy. They were the harbingers of something so much more, something he really wanted to feel.

He wanted Connor to open up, to let go, to tell him.

"What happened, Connor?" he asked, trying to steady himself.

Trying to anchor, to buffer, so shield. He was all over the place. He cursed continuously in his head.

Rhodes' eyes widened as Will carefully brushed over those fluctuations he felt, trying to smooth them as he was used to. It was natural to him, like breathing.

"Will… what…?"

"Told you. I can anchor another preter or super."

"But you're already mimicking me."

A shrug. "I can do both. Now, spill. What happened on your little weekend trip?"

Silence.

Will held back, held his tongue, waiting. Patiently.

Rhodes was staring at the ground, visibly fighting, one leg jiggling nervously.

"I died," finally said.

tbc...


	5. Chapter 5

Will's brain stalled. Total system failure.

"No," he managed.

Connor had died…

"No… No way…"

He tried to reboot.

Connor Rhodes had died and he was alive! Here he was, alive and well… Alive! He had…

"Fuck…"

Connor's tired smile was answer enough. His elbows were resting on his knees, hands clasped together, almost hunched over.

"Fuck…" Will repeated. "Fuck, Connor… what…?"

"Went hiking to clear my head. Not the best idea when you get caught by a flash flood and drown."

Will almost choked. Drowned. Connor had drowned. Connor had died… He had come back. He was giving off an insane amount of psychic energy that had found a perfect match in Will Halstead, had overridden everything, and it had made itself at home.

Now it all made sense. Such, terrible, horrifying sense. He was starting to realize something that would have had him laugh hysterically otherwise, but now it only invoked absolute horror.

"You're a… phoenix?"

Never, ever, would he have come to that conclusion on his own. Never! Phoenixes were… maybe rare, who knew? All that was known was that they did exist, were very elusive, and no one had ever managed to write more than a few paragraphs about this particular ability.

He almost laughed. The same could be said about mimics, who likewise flew under the radar like pros.

Now here was a phoenix and Will was fighting to understand it all.

It got him another tired smile. "Yeah."

"Shit!"

And that explained so much. Especially the beard. And how the man was so tired. Coming back from death meant channeling a power that would bring others to their knees, regenerating an unknown amount of cells, and doing all of that on your own. Will had felt it, had buffered it without knowing, had mimicked the other man to leech off the psychic energy.

"Not your first death," Halstead realized, renewed shock creeping to his system.

A system that was latched onto a phoenix and happily siphoned the power. Making him a phoenix right now, too. And maybe a lot longer.

For months… That's what he had felt. That weird sensation, copying a supernatural he had never encountered before and doing it with ease.

He was so screwed!

Absolutely and infinitely screwed!

"No. Not my first. I try to avoid it, but it happens."

"It happens," he echoed, a numb feeling spreading through him.

Connor evaded his eyes.

"That," Will gestured at his own, clean-shaven skin, "isn't really helping."

"It… deflects a little."

Because a rebirth was also a reboot and the physical form went back to a point in the past.

"How old were you?" he blurted.

"Twenty-five."

Seven years. Not bad. At least now. It would be a hell of a problem should it happen in the fifties or later, or naturally of old age.

"You can compensate that without the fuzz. People actually talked more about that than anything else. You were gone five days, so looking refreshed after a vacation wouldn't really ring any alarm bells."

It got him a shrug and Connor gazed at his hands, which were tightly fisted into one another. "Instinctive reaction, other than uprooting my life and running. My last death was just before I came home to Chicago. Actually, it was the reason why I left my last job. I didn't really want to come to Chicago, but it's home. I felt homesick and dreaded it in one."

Halstead cursed up a storm and suddenly exploded from the armchair, nervous energy and the need to just move having him pace. Rhodes rose as if to follow, then remained where he was, warily watching him.

He was tense. About to bolt. Fight or flight. Most likely always the latter.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

His mind was racing and Will felt dizzy from just thinking about what the words meant.

"I'm mimicking you!" he finally snapped. "A phoenix! You're… I can't… damnit, Connor! I didn't even know! I couldn't make sense of it! Do you know what kind of power you have?"

"I didn't know!" the other snarled, then pushed his knuckles against his eyes. "I didn't know about you, Will. I didn't. Sorry," as the soft, almost defeated answer. "It'll break when I leave, Will. It's probably only the proximity."

"Proximity my ass! It started when we met! It was always there! It's hit me like a ton of bricks when you returned – and it hasn't stopped since! You don't live next to me, not even on the same block, and I can still…" He gave a frustrated groan, then stopped when he saw the resigned, gray eyes. His own eyes widened as realization set in. "Oh, no! No way, Connor! You won't!"

"It's for the best. It will break the connection, give you back your life, and…"

"You're not leaving because of that!" Halstead spat. "Your physical changes aren't visible and…"

"I've forced you into mimicking me!" Connor exploded, finally showing more life and fire than the last hour. "I was making up plans for a possible relocation anyway! Now it's even more important! Because of you!"

"Fuck you!"

"Will…."

"No!" he interrupted him furiously. "You don't get to just run! That's not how it works!"

The expression in the other man's eyes was a clear reflection of the phoenix. Will felt the surge, felt the energy, and that very fire was almost heady. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to hold onto Connor, kiss him, make him his as much as Connor had already laid a claim on him.

And he simultaneously wanted to kick his ass from here into next Tuesday!

Yeah, damnit, he knew their fights had been something other than just animosity, but that he had so suddenly shifted into this mimicry was just another piece in the puzzle that was their relationship.

"Do you have any idea at all what a mimic is? How we work?" Will demanded, stalking toward the other man. "Do you?!"

"I never met one, just read about them. So, no."

"Well, let me tell you then! Yes, you overwhelmed me, because I had no clue what you are, Rhodes! But you didn't force me! You didn't make me do anything I didn't want to!"

"You said…"

"That you blindsided me with what you are and I was curious, Rhodes! You were a mystery and I wanted to know what was getting me so riled up around you!"

"My supernatural side."

They were now standing opposite each other. Will could see it clearly now, in those gray eyes, that fire that was the phoenix. It was that power he had always sensed, locked up and hidden, so strong and untamed. He had experienced the backlash of the rebirth and it had floored him.

Because he hadn't been prepared.

Now he was. And he wanted it to rise again.

"Yeah. That and the fact that I really liked what I was looking at. But you rubbed me the wrong way. You were everything that set me off! Family money, the entitlement…"

Connor rolled his eyes in a very familiar way.

"Not to mention you were also good at what you were doing!"

"That almost sounds like a compliment," came the wry comeback.

"And you were a preter or super I couldn't understand!. You drew me in."

"Will… it's…"

"Don't say it's just instinct! Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. But I'm not letting you leave because of some stupid idea you have in your head! You can't force a mimic into mimicking, okay? That's not how I'm wired. I decide. My shields are actually perfect. It was your stupidly handsome ass that derailed me! That and whatever it is you… you needed. Because that's what we respond to!"

"So I manipulated you!"

Goodness gracious! The man was going to be the death of him! He wanted to knock some sense into that thick head! It was the usual knee-jerk reaction around Rhodes and normally he would snark and rile him up some more. Because the attraction was bad already, but to know the other was also very much attuned to his preternatural side had Will want to just…

He bit down on that.

Instead of physical violence he stepped right into the man's personal space, eyes blazing, refusing to back down.

"My instinct is to help, Connor! It almost got me my ass handed to me a few times, but I could always stop myself from interfering with a mate bond or a partnership, understand? I can stop myself if I'm not wanted or needed! I also don't go around just handing it out! I make the decision. No one else. Only me! When you came back from your little weekend death trip, you were screaming your need!"

Connor looked away, eyes filling with pain.

"I didn't know what it was. I had never felt such a powerful burn. You needed something so badly and still do. I was the only one receptive to it. Not my first clue. And what I want to do is far from Samaritan or Mother Theresa. This feels right, doesn't it?"

There was still a lot of fight and even more stubbornness left in the other doctor, but Will just did what he had wanted to do all along: he pushed him against the wall, staring into those intensely gray eyes. The tingles were now fully formed whispers of everything Connor Rhodes was, the phoenix strong and recently reborn, still fighting with the energy that had released.

"Connor?" he prodded.

It got him a barely perceptible nod.

Will reached out and touched one tense shoulder. There was a faint thrum, but not the psychic blow of before.

"The supernatural you are wouldn't just latch onto me if you didn't want to. I've had patients reject my help. I can't be forced and I can't force. It's nature. This, between us, is absolutely voluntary. Both of us want it," he said softly, voice intense. "Yes, it's my ability, aside from doing my mimicking shtick. And I'm what you are now, because that's your other need. But you and I… that's not all just the whole mimicry, right?"

Hands suddenly clenched into his Henley, seeking hold.

"No."

"See?" he whispered.

Will wrapped his arms around the broad shoulders, felt the tremors. The man was as tightly strung as they came, seconds away from either breaking apart or finally allowing his shields to dissolve and fully accept whatever this was between them.

"You're no longer alone, Connor," he murmured, only just now realizing what had been sitting so heavily on the other man's mind and soul. "I'm here. I'll be there. If you run, I follow. I'm not going to leave you. We'll figure this out. This us."

The tremors increased.

Will finally understood what it was that had kept Connor from making the last step to maybe some fun times, maybe even more than random dates, maybe a steady relationship. He understood the pain, the need, the hunger, and the denial. Being a phoenix was a lonely existence. Connor was a ghost. He lived and worked with friends and colleagues, but no one knew what he was, what his abilities were. They only triggered when he died. And then he began a new life.

"You can't…" Rhodes whispered.

"I already do. Have done for a long, long time. Probably since we met, you pulling rank on me…"

The other man shook his head, grimacing.

"I'd like to think you chose me. Maybe even back then."

It got him a weak, wet laugh. "Why would I choose you of all people?" he joked brokenly. "You're an antagonistic son of a bitch on your best days. Hostile on your worst. You fought me every step of the way in those first days."

Will rested his forehead against Connor's, grinning at the words. "Yeah. As first impressions go…"

Another chuckle. "Right."

"Instinct ignores personal grievances. Even if 'opposites attract' isn't a healthy base for any kind of relationship..."

"Relationship?"

He gave him a boyish, almost playful grin. "Yeah?"

"Will…"

He looked into the so open eyes, read need, hope, desperation and fear in them. "What I am drew me to you. I've been a mimic all my life. I know what I can and can't do. I know that you got me hooked on you the moment you came in like a white knight on a white horse, saving people and being an abrasive ass. Half the time I didn't know if I wanted to hit your stupid face or kiss you."

The hands in his shirt clenched again.

"Hey, half the ED is secretly swooning over that face. And that body."

"Shallow." He detected faint amusement in the tone of voice.

"Hm, count me in on that. You're also quite good at what you do, so the package was highly attractive."

"Quite good?"

There it was. The fire. The annoyance.

"You have your moments. The thing is, I wanted your ass for a while. Not because you're a phoenix. Not because your supernatural side roped me in and made me do anything. I thought you were a giant tease, a real asshole. That's when I wanted to punch you in the face."

Connor laughed a little.

"You can't make me feel this," Will went on. "Personal feelings are completely separate from my abilities. Otherwise I'd have slept with half the CFD and CPD that have been coming through our ER."

"What?!"

Halstead grinned at the almost growled word, enjoying the brief moment of what could be categorized f jealousy reflecting on the drawn features. "Law enforcement sees a lot of strong supers and preters. You might recall running into one Lieutenant Kelly Severide, Rescue Squad 3?"

Connor's face darkened. Yep, he clearly did. They had clashed over a patient, a mutual friend, and his treatment. Or Lieutenant Severide's challenge issued over Dr. Rhode's competency as a doctor.

"Yes. And?"

"You never got a sense of him?"

"No?"

Will just stared at him, drawn between laughter and despair. "Well, let's just say if you ever get between the lieutenant and Matt Casey, you know what he can do when he thinks he's about to lose that guy," finally said evenly. "That thing with Herrman? Not his most intense asshole behavior."

The other frowned. "He was quite intense, but we just got into a little argument."

"Lemme guess: you glared at one another. Wanted to slam the door into his face for questioning your skills. Just about stopped yourself from kicking him out of ED?"

Connor scowled.

"I take that as a yes."

"It wasn't his place to question my decision."

"He was a friend of the patient. Someone he wanted and needed to protect. It's in his blood."

"So what is he?"

"You're kidding me, right?"

"No," was the honest answer.

"He's a freaking alpha-level, multi-aspect preternatural! A Sentinel! Even someone without a shred of talent gets them!"

Rhodes nodded slowly. "Met my share, mostly military or after their service, police. Tough bunch."

"Yeah, I was surprised he chose to be Rescue, too. He has all five senses enhanced."

"And Casey?"

"Buffer. Completely passive preter unless he is needed to well, buffer prime level senses. Really good at what he does. Severide is actually completely in control, doesn't easily lose himself, but he found something in Casey. Something he needs."

"Will," he sighed, shaking his head a little, but he never let go of the shirt.

Halstead drew back

He met the gray eyes.

Slightly otherworldly.

The phoenix was there, watching, wary, waiting.

He looked into those suddenly unguarded eyes, saw the longing, the loneliness, and the hope. Being this, what nature had made him, had put Connor into an impossible situation. Whatever he did, he would always lose something, friends coming and going, of death happening to others.

He would be forced to start over again and again.

Yes, it was impossible, but he was dealing with it.

Will waited for a long second, then leaned in and brushed their lips together.

For a first kiss it was unspectacular and wouldn't make it into any of those wildly unrealistic novels about finding your perfect mate. Sure, they had the fact that neither a mimic nor a phoenix sought a perfect mate going against them, but anyway.

It was a soft kiss. More like a tentative first foray into a whole new world. It was Connor stepping forward, hopeful, trying to carefully embrace a possible partner for life. A very long life due to his nature. And it was Will, opening up to something he had never experienced before either.

"You might never be anything else now," Connor whispered against his lips, nipping tiny bites.

"You're really trying to sell me on putting up with you, aren't you, Rhodes?" he groaned, mock annoyed. "You don't even know how mimicking goes. Or if I ever want to be anyone else. Maybe I like copying your supernatural ass."

Connor laughed, sounding a lot more steady, even really amused. "That's such a bad pick-up line, Halstead."

"Kinda worked, hm?"

"Only kinda."

"And if that's your way of asking if I want to go steady, you're such a girl, Rhodes."

The laugh was stronger now. "I think we're way past awkward dates."

"And right into awkwardly making out."

Connor's grip had loosened and he slowly wrapped his arms around Will's waist, holding him. One hand splayed against the small of his back. Their next kiss was still very explorative and Will felt no need to have this relocate to the bed and maybe end with a romp between the sheets.

"Not so awkward," he murmured.

"Hm. Needs work."

"Practice makes perfect."

A lot of practice, which both were very much into and willing to put into it.

They did end up in bed, though.

Still kissing but not frantically tearing off each other's clothes. Actually, there was no frenzy, just… a sudden peaceful calm, filled with even gentler explorations.

Connor was a really good kisser, Will found out, enjoying himself immensely. There was no urgency at all and what he sensed, so freely radiating off the phoenix, was that this was exactly what the doctor had ordered.

Close contact. Reassurance. Emotions given freely. Exploring the hard body of the other man, listening to the sounds he made, reacting to those needs.

Connor needed the calmness, the balance, and Will was very much ready to give it.

tbc...


	6. Chapter 6

The weather had changed, rain coming down in sheets, and the world outside was gray and unwelcoming. In a few weeks, maybe even sooner, the rain would be snow and the weather would be icy. Will wasn't looking forward to the subzero temperatures, the biting cold, but right now he didn't really care.

Connor was dozing against him, loose-limbed, pliant, and with tousled hair tickling Will's chin. Will was the one responsible for the unruly bedhead look, fondly running long fingers through the dark strands, listening to what it did to the other man on a psychic level.

The gentle waves of energy lapping against his mind were evidence enough. He had never been this receptive to anyone and he shouldn't be.

But he was.

Maybe because of the whole phoenix thing. There was no known case of whatever it was they had, and their own connection would remain a private matter. No paper, no book, no poking and prodding as to what had happened.

Connor was destressing, decompressing from his ordeals, his whole body opening itself up to the very real fact that Dr. Will Halstead had bound himself willingly to the phoenix, very well able and capable to share a life with him.

Without being forced.

Without having to do it.

There was a looseness to him, so many shields breaking apart voluntarily, without further prodding, that it had Will almost breathless. He felt the ancient power that had settled in the other man, eternal and indestructible, and his own abilities mirrored it perfectly. It was a resonance between them, a strange kind of equilibrium, and it had both of them mellow and totally at ease.

It was beautiful.

Connor's breathing was slow, deep, almost meditative.

"Still with me?" Will softly broke the silence that had comfortably sat between them for almost three hours.

It got him a soft hum.

He grinned, dragging loose fingers through the dark strands. The arm thrown over his hips tightened briefly.

"You're a cuddler," Will teased. "Who would have known?"

It got him a slightly annoyed sounding grunt. He laughed silently, feeling just as loose and relaxed as Connor. Who was a cuddler.

"So, your family…" he probed, still tugging playfully at those dark strands.

Connor's eyes opened a little, more alert than three hours ago. The agitation of before was gone, the tension had almost disappeared.

"Complicated."

"Not news. Knowing you're a phoenix, well, it’s most likely even worse than complicated. I met your dad. Not likely to win father of the year award. Then again, mine's not even a nominee."

After a long moment of silence, Connor sat up and faced him. Will mourned the loss of the warm, hard-muscled form against him. It had felt nice. It had felt like something he could really get used to. It had felt unlike anything ever before. Connor wasn’t his first male partner, but he was the first one he had this connection with.

Connor still looked more relaxed than he had ever seen him and Will felt weirdly proud that he had accomplished that. The rumpled clothes and messy hair helped, too. His work. Damn, he was good.

"He was never my father, Will."

"Okay," he said slowly, frowning, mind racing.

Not like he felt his own had been much of a father, always disappointed in him, never showing any pride in his oldest son's choice of profession.

"And no, before you ask, I'm not ancient," Rhodes smirked, the brief teasing lifting shadows off his face. "Didn't see the rise of Rome or the pyramids being built. My grandfather is actually my father."

Will blinked. His brain was trying to make sense of the words. "And Cornelius?"

"My older brother."

"Whoa. Slightly messed up."

"Like I said, complicated. It was the only solution to the problem of me coming back from the dead after I died that first time, and everyone found out that I have supernatural abilities."

"How…?"

"Car accident." Connor scrubbed a hand over his face. "Broke my neck."

"Absolutely messed up," Will corrected his prior statement.

"And complicated. My father made a lot happen and I disappeared. I hid in one of my dad’s condos, then moved around a lot, finally even left the country. It took us all a while to deal with it and Cornelius was never happy about being pushed into pretending to be my father a few decades down the road."

Will was speechless. Yep, that was an understatement. He could imagine how much money had greased the wheels to hide who and what Connor Rhodes was. There was a death certificate out there with his name and real date of birth on it.

"Cornelius married. Had kids. I just travelled. I never stayed anywhere any amount of time. Gave me a pretty good idea of the world, but everything else…"

Connor stopped, lips thinning, appearing almost haggard.

"Elizabeth… she was mentally ill and when their son died… she threw herself off the roof."

"Their son… your nephew…?"

"The place I took later on."

Will stared at him, shell-shocked.

"I never asked how my father pulled it off, how illegal it was, how criminal it had gotten, how he knew the people he did, but the papers only ever reported about Elizabeth. Never about Callum Connor Rhodes. On paper he attended boarding schools abroad. Then he studied medicine in Mexico. I really did go to Mexico and later Riyadh. I am a doctor,” Connor stated. “My brother… He did it for the family. Everyone did. Protecting me. Hating me every step of the way for being special, for needing his help like this, for destroying his life…"

"Gawd, Connor," he whispered, at a loss for words. Emotions churned through him and most of all he wanted to just keep this man safe, tell him it was over now.

"Then my father died," Connor went on, voice soft, almost far away. "For a while I had hoped he had the same gene, that I had inherited it from me. No such luck. I went to his funeral, but officially I was the grandson."

“That’s rough,” Will murmured.

“Yes. Then I was killed in Riyadh.”

Halstead winced.

“When I come back, I’m right off the scale. I get antsy. I need to run it off somehow. It never works.”

"Yeah, tell me about it," Halstead fought for lightness. "You kinda floored me when you waltzed back into ED. The stuff you radiate could power the city for a week!"

Connor's expression was one of guilt and self-loathing.

"Hey," Will said softly and curled strong fingers around one wrist. "Don't. I think you finally found a way to siphon off what you bring back with you."

“You.”

“Me,” he stated with a grin.

“Because you mimic me?”

“Who knows? Most likely. Maybe. It works, that’s all we need to know. You have a balance, you equilibrium. It might be what a phoenix needs. Which is actually a crappy genetic fluke.”

Connor snorted. “Tell me about it.”

Because other than not dying, what else was he good at? Yes, he would be the perfect little soldier in any military game, but Dr. Connor Rhodes was as far from a soldier as Will could be, too.

Who was to say what any kind of military agency would use a phoenix for anyway. Cannon fodder? Will shuddered. No wonder there was so little known about these supernaturals. Aside from cruel exploitation and running endless experiments, what could they expect from opening up about what they could do?

Will leaned over, bridging the gap between them, and kissed the dry lips.

There was a little tremor.

"I'm here. You won't be alone again," he promised.

He was more than ready to shoulder being the strong one right now. Connor Rhodes wasn't weak. He wasn't submissive. The man was incredibly strong, could handle himself against all kinds of opposition and odds, but not right now. Right now he didn’t really fight. He had surrendered and he had opened up. Right now he was too exhausted from recent events, too tired from thinking about leaving behind a new life he had just started. He needed to process what had happened, what had been revealed, and he needed to understand that he could open up to someone. Probably for the first time in a long time.

"I'm not good at commitment," Connor told him, voice a little unsure. The gray eyes evaded brown ones.

"I'm not asking for a ring."

"That would be a little fast."

"Hey, we've been the married odd couple for a while now."

Connor smiled wryly.

"You're no longer dealing with this alone, Connor. I'm here. You're letting me be here. And I want this."

"I learned how hard it can be… so I didn't… I didn't want love. I didn't let myself want more."

The raw pain was almost enough to be Will's undoing. Anyone who thought Connor's supernatural ability was cool and perfect hadn't thought it through.

He squeezed the man's wrist again.

"You want more?"

"Yes," was the barely more than whispered answer.

Will started to run a gentle caress over the tense back. "So do I. With you."

Connor was silent. He didn't move, but he also didn't let go.

"Didn't think you were so selfless," he broke the silence after a while.

"Selfless? Nah. Now that I know that you're actually a lot more loaded than anyone ever thought?" Will teased, switching topics. "Quite a catch."

It got him a breathy little laugh.

"And still you live in a teeny-tiny apartment. I mean, it's bigger than mine, but I expected at least twice that size I can see here."

"It's enough."

There was the shiver again, the mass of energy that was so tightly coiled inside and around Connor. The overflow. He carefully let it run off along the path the anchor provided, feeling his own reaction to it.

"You're a heavy hitter, Connor Rhodes," he murmured. "I've anchored shifters of old blood that were fluffy bunnies compared to this."

The tension tripled and Halstead sighed, annoyed.

"It's not a bad thing, okay? Just… something I need to get used to. Actually, it feels kinda… well, weirdly nice."

"Weirdly nice?" came the incredulous echo.

"Yeah. You feel nice. Comfortable."

Connor slowly pushed himself up, looking down at the other man. Will didn't shy away from the intense, searching look. There was no weakness there, no tremor or shiver, and he knew he was looking at what was currently underneath the pain and longing.

He was looking at the real Connor, the man who had come into the ER covered in blood and sweat from a derailed train wreck he had been in. The man who had a commanding aura, who knew what he was and could do, someone assured of his abilities and in control.

So he let himself be open, calm and maybe a little bit more submissive than he normally was, coaxing the powerful thing that Connor Rhodes was out of its exile.

The next kiss was a little more of what Will expected to come in their future. It was quite explorative, almost getting really dirty, and Will heard himself groan softly, which resulted in Connor laughing as they parted.

The yawn that hit him next destroyed the moment and Halstead pulled him close again.

"Get some sleep," he ordered. "We have time. We can talk later."

"Maybe I did something wrong, but I didn't want to talk right now."

"The state you're in, you'd fall asleep in the middle of it," Will teased. "We have time," he repeated. "For a lot. Not just talking, but also not just for wild sex."

"Hm, wild sex sounds good." Connor sounded sleepy.

"Lots of it."

"Sounds good."

"Later."

The man was asleep a few minutes later and Will watched the slack features, caressing the dark head, blunt nails trailing over the skin of his neck.

tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

Waking up to Connor in a shared bed – King-size, all the works -- was something Will could get used to. Sure, he would have expected them to be more naked, most likely still feeling the aftereffects of a good romp, but this… this was absolutely perfect. Not what he had imagined, but so incredibly amazing nevertheless.

He felt like nothing in the world was more important than Connor.

The other man was still sleeping, so after watching him for a while, a long while actually, Will slipped out of bed. Reluctantly, but he needed to use the bathroom and he really could do with a shower.

Connor never moved. He was still totally out of it.

Knowing what he had gone through, physically and emotionally, it was no wonder.

He had died.

Connor had died!

The very fact still burned inside Will, churning through his guts, and he couldn't come to terms with what that really meant.

Connor Rhodes had come back from the dead, and not for the first time. He was a phoenix; it was in his genes. But it took from him and he had broadcast the aftereffects like a bright beacon that only Will had been able to receive.

_Damnit, Connor_, he thought as he borrowed some sweats and took a quick shower.

A phoenix!

Will couldn't wrap his head around that just yet. To live and die, then come back and do it all over again. Afraid of making meaningful connections because those people he would have to leave behind. Should Connor die of old age, he would have to make sure his rebirth happened somewhere safe. He needed to trust someone with his nature. And if the death came suddenly…

Will groaned and shook his head.

Not only was it a nightmare where trusted allies were needed, it also meant leaving everything behind. Being this kind of supernatural wasn't something to openly broadcast everywhere and to everyone.

Law enforcement would be very interested in recruiting a supernatural like Connor Rhodes. Not to mention intelligence agencies. Or much worse entities. Science was always trying to improve itself by borrowing from nature, and being close to immortal…

Damnit!

Connor was screwed either way. He lived a life in secret, running when matters got too dicey, and he had never allowed himself to settle anywhere.

Until now.

He had a choice now. He had someone to trust now. And he had someone who was, at least in a copy-cat kind of way, like him.

He headed into the kitchen, hair still damp, searching for coffee. The condo wasn't luxuriously big, but also not as tiny as his own rental, and it had an amazing view. The window front alone was something Will was envious of, especially at night. It had probably cost an arm and a leg; for some reason Will didn't think it was a rental. This was a Rhodes, a guy with serious money, a trust fund, and whatever he was getting through his family. Not to mention Connor had no loans to pay off, which meant the money he made went straight into his account.

Will would have to take out a loan to just cover the deposit for such a place, he mused. The rent would kill him within a month or two.

The cabinets contained more food stuff than Will usually had at his place in a month, and he smiled fondly at the chocolate spread and the assorted jams. Someone had a massive sweet tooth. The fridge had actually fresh stuff in it, too.

The coffee was done when Connor finally made an appearance, clearly freshly showered, looking a lot more alert and put together than last night. And very rested.

Will gave him a warm smile and was surprised how easily Connor leaned in and kissed him. It was familiar, comfortable, not a shred of awkwardness between them. He briefly lost himself in the explorative contact, enjoying the hard body so readily leaning against him.

Damn.

"Slept well?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. Thank you. For everything."

"Didn't do anything. Yet, anyway." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

It got him a little burst of laughter. "That's so bad, Will."

_But it made you laugh_, Will thought. He liked how it made the other man look. How it eased so much pain, how it gave him a younger, almost careless look.

"Coffee?" he offered.

"Oh, yes, please!"

Connor accepted the mug with that small thankful smile that could make nurses and doctors swoon. He had already left a few broken hopes and dreams throughout his ED time and now in Cardiothoracic.

Will pushed toast at him. He hadn't found much else, but buttered toast and jam was a good start.

"Hope you don't mind," he said and gestured at the borrowed clothes.

"Knock yourself out. I think I've got more than one clean pair."

"You could always buy some more. Oh wait! You have a whole department store. You’d probably get them as some kind of allowance or what."

Connor scowled. Will grinned widely and held up his hands to soften the words.

"Easy with the death looks. Just kidding."

Connor loaded strawberry jam onto his toast and silently ate it. Will just refilled the coffee mug, patiently waiting. Now that so much was out in the open, waiting was becoming easier. He no longer felt like he had to poke at the other man, make him lose his temper, annoy him to the point where he would either snarl at him or silently walk away.

"Dolan Rhodes is not me," he finally said. "Never was and never will be."

"You just rake in the bucks?" Will teased.

Another glower. "Cornelius took over and he manages it, together with Claire."

"Who's not your sister?"

"No. Niece."

"Your family has good actors."

He sighed. "It was a matter of need. My father drilled it into them. All of them. I'm the only preter. Cornelius despised me after a while. Because I had this great gift. Because he wasn't special. Because he had to give up everything, as he claimed." He grimaced. "He never understood. He thinks it's so great, to be able to cheat death, to survive against all odds, to always come back. I tried reasoning with him. I tried to tell him that it's not all fun and games. That I can never have a family of my own, kids… because they would grow old and die while I come back again and again."

Will winced. "One might end up a phoenix," he tried.

"And then what?" was the level return. "No." He shook his head. "Cornelius thought I was too dramatic. Claire… I think she can relate. She might be a little bit empathic. She never got herself tested, though my brother did. His results were negative across the board. Not a latent gene in sight."

Will nodded. "You gonna tell them about this… between us?" He made a back and forth gesture.

"Not yet. I… want to explore what this," Connor copied the gesture, "is."

Halstead silently met the expressive eyes. "I hope it's something good for you. Because I like it already."

"After just one night?"

"One stormy, eye-opening, wild night," Will laughed, feeling so much lighter, so much more at ease.

Connor bunched up his napkin and threw it at him. Then he grew serious.

"It was one night, Will."

"Yes."

Silence.

"One night," Connor finally repeated.

"And the day before that. And the evening. I liked it all. This isn't some mindless hook-up."

"No," the trauma surgeon murmured softly.

"It also didn't come suddenly."

The other man's lips twitched a little. "It's not going to be easy."

"Oh, you mean what we had so far, the arguing, the sniping and snarling, and not to mention the rank-pulling, that was easy?"

Another little lip-twitch. "Being this… being what I am…"

"I've known you for a lot longer than just tonight, Connor," he interrupted the other man. "And we connected on that very first day. First clue? You said it before: we kinda dated. Took us a while, but I think… I firmly believe… it will work. You feel perfect. Comfortable. Familiar."

"Because you're a mimic."

"Because I like you!" Will snapped, then reigned in his temper. He groaned. "Here we go again. You drive me insane, Rhodes! Absolutely insane! You have this… automatic defense against whatever hits too close and then you just… pull out. You bolt. You make up arguments in your head and you throw them around. I want to be with you, you asshole! Everything I am seems to follow that stupid idea, too! If you were a Sentinel we wouldn't have this pointless discussion! But you're not and I'm not bond material, I know, but here we are! Compatible! The whole package! Down to wanting you so badly I'm thinking about jerking off in the shower!"

Connor stared at him, toast forgotten. He blinked, looking pole-axed. "You have nothing to compare this to!" he argued. "There is no prior case of a phoenix and mimic! There is nothing on whether this is really real or just…"

Will just about held back from becoming a lot more physical. He forced himself to center, to reign back the temper once again.

"You're right. There is nothing on what we are. You are one of the most secretive and mythical of all abilities, mainly because no phoenix just waltzes into a science lab and starts playing guinea pig. And mimics are just as under the radar and actually not really more than rumors either. We can and do pass as just about anyone, which gives us an amount of safety. You… well, you just stoke the fireside tales and mystery novels."

Connor grimaced.

"But all this aside, it's my area of expertise," Will added firmly. "Mimicking you means feeling this energy around you, inside you, and between us. It's… natural. Doesn't feel forced. You feel amazing, Connor Rhodes, and we're not talking about getting laid."

"Just wanking off in the shower?"

"Or the bed."

"Messy."

"I like messy."

The other man was suddenly in his space, crowding against him, and the kiss tasted of butter and strawberries. Will wrapped his arms around him, holding him close, answering the searching lips and tongue with his own.

"Oh, are we talking about getting laid?" Will teased, feeling the first spikes of arousal. "Or a mutual handjob?"

Connor expelled a laugh, sounding almost breathless. "I've wanted you for a while now."

"Just for a while?"

There was an almost impish little smile. "Since you almost ruined your life using me to hack into patient files."

The elevator. That moment. Will hadn't been wrong.

"Now you've got me."

"I got you." It sounded almost awed.

"And we will fight."

"Probably."

"Oh the bets are on one hundred percent, Dr. Rhodes. You're the most aggravating man I know!"

The gray eyes lit up. Challenge accepted.

The kiss they shared was slow, deep, filled with desire and a promise he had never given anyone before. Hands found their way under the borrowed shirt. Strong, capable and sure hands. No hesitation. No shyness.

Will found he very much liked where Connor was leading. Especially when clothes started to come off and he ran his hands over smooth, hard muscle and inked skin.

The sense of the tightly coiled energy was still there, the overflow that had yet to dissipate, and it lapped at his senses, sneaking along what they shared through the mimicry, making a home inside his very soul.

Their first time was without real finesse, just taking the edge off, slick and hot between them, and pushing into Connor's hand as he did just the right thing, that little twist, increasing the friction and bring them both off.

Will held him, running a shaky hand over the bowed back, feeling his own tremors of the release, of the energy that was more than just physical, that enveloped them in the afterglow.

"Holy… Is it always like that?" he laughed breathlessly. "Fuck…"

Connor echoed the laugh. "No."

"Too bad."

The gray eyes, more intense, more surreal all of a sudden, narrowed. Will grinned more.

"Ass," came the fond comment.

"Hm, good topic, actually, because next time I want yours."

"Hope you like switching, because I'm claiming yours."

The surge of happiness, of fondness, of actual possessiveness startled him and Will grabbed his phoenix in a hard kiss.

This. This was his. He wanted it. He wouldn't let anyone take it from him ever again.

Will had had no qualms about bottoming, enjoying the ride from the top, so to speak, and the explosion of pure fire between them was more than he had ever felt. And he had slept with two empaths in his life, even a shifter, and it had never been like this.

Perfect.

More than perfect.

"You have no idea how long I wanted to do that."

Will, all pliant and relaxed, gave the other man a lazy smirk. "Why didn't you?"

"We are colleagues."

"Hm, doesn't stop half the ED from trying, some of them succeeding. You do know about Natalie and Clarke, right? I mean, the whole ED, the ambulance drivers, the cleaning crew… they all know those two are just one question shy of tying the knot."

Connor pushed himself up, looking at the other man lying loose-limbed and open next to him. He looked a little undone himself, that flush quite a handsome look on him.

"I know about Dr. Manning and Mr. Clarke."

"So? They're colleagues. Actually, she's an attending, he's still a student."

Emotions flew over the expressive face and Will again marveled how open Connor suddenly was, all shields still down. So different from what he was at work.

"I didn't want a one-night stand, Will. Because I wanted more. I couldn't allow myself more, as much as I wanted it. One quick roll between the sheets wouldn't have been enough. I knew I wouldn't be able to let go."

"Huh. Really."

"Yes."

"Wow."

Connor kissed him, relaying so much more than either had yet talked about. "Yes, wow," he murmured when he drew back.

Will looked into the unguarded eyes. "You drive me crazy, Connor Rhodes."

Amusement lit up the unshaven features, wiping out lines of worry and too much weight on the other man's shoulders.

"I think you got there first."

"Not sorry."

"Wouldn't have figured you to be."

Will pulled him down again, just happy to taste him, to connect on so many new levels.

tbc...


	8. Chapter 8

They talked. A lot more than Will would have thought possible. It gave him an insight into what being a phoenix meant, how deeply rooted the fear or getting close to anyone was, because closeness meant pain when it came to leaving, to loss. Connor had lived through it all several times and it had left scars.

Scars that still hurt and still broke open sometimes.

"When in hell, keep going," he murmured. "One of the many things my father told me. Don't stop. Never give up, never surrender. It's not like there is a way out, right? It's what I was born with. One of the many variations of the supernatural; useful or useless, there's never an answer to that."

"Not gonna leave," Will told him firmly, looking into those wide open, unguarded eyes.

"My one in a million chance."

"And don't you forget it."

The kiss relayed a lot of emotions and Will felt the desperation, could almost sense the fear.

"Connor," he murmured. "I'm here. I'm here."

The gray eyes glistened as the other man fought for composure. "You're here," he echoed.

"I want this. Here. Now. And wherever else we will go."

"You never signed up for that."

"I kinda did."

"Will…"

"This is me, Connor. Us. The one in a million chance. Don't start arguing with me about what I am and can do! This is my field of expertise for once!"

Rhodes had the audacity to laugh and the amusement was clear to see. "Fate doesn't work that way. Mates do. Soulbonds. Sentinels and their guides."

"Screw that. No one ever figured a phoenix into it. A phoenix meeting a mimic who hated their guts at first and then found them really, really annoying. Really. So annoying."

Another laugh, the amusement lighting up the other's eyes with more life.

Will smirked, stealing another kiss. Damn, he would never tire of that. "You're aggravating. Pain in the ass. Nothing but trouble," he murmured. "But you got me for good, Connor Rhodes. No way out. No finding another one like me."

"I doubt there is another one like you, Halstead. So I'm really lucky."

"Don't you forget it."

Connor held on to him, face buried between his shoulder and neck. Will felt the smile against his skin and he tightened his hold.

"What's it like? Being a mimic?"

Will gave the other man a surprised look. They were comfortably entangled on the bed, Will's hand pushed underneath the black t-shirt and resting against warm skin. Now and then he dragged his thumb over the warmth.

"You mean, how can I do what I do? Well, just like you. It's my nature. Like you can come back from death."

Connor's expression was one of scientific and personal curiosity. His brows were slightly dipped, eyes sharp, mouth thinning a little.

"I'm not active, Will. My powers are passive until needed, and they only come into play when I die. Injuries heal like with anyone else. But you can control what you do."

He shrugged. "Yes. I just can. I know what you are and how to be what you need, be it your own kind or something else."

"Could you become someone else?"

"Right now or in general?"

"Both."

Will shrugged. "Well, right now I'm a phoenix. I can't just switch into a shifter or an elemental or copy a multi-aspect."

"You have to be around one," Connor stated, quickly catching on.

"Yep. You don't have to worry that I set the house on fire or start shifting forms."

It got him a chuckle. "Good to know."

"Every super or preter has their limitations. For me it's that I need the original around to copy it."

"No one in the ED knows about you. Why?"

Another shrug. "It's not necessary."

Connor's forehead wrinkled in a frown. He looked thoughtful, almost a little puzzled.

"Are you the perfect copy?" he finally queried.

Will blinked, stopping his ministrations. He leaned his head back a little, looking at the other man. "You mean, can I do whatever the one I mimic can?"

Connor nodded.

"Well, yeah. That's what it means to be me. I mimic."

"You copy. But a copy is just that: a copy. It doesn't contain all the original's features."

He chuckled. "If you're talking about paper copies or electronic copies, sure. This is genetics."

"So you could shift? Completely?"

"Are you running a diagnosis on my abilities, Dr. Rhodes?"

Connor laughed and shook his head. "I'm only interested. In you."

"Right. I'm calling clinical interest here. I'm not donating blood or other bodily fluids, and we're not going to experiment."

Connor moved to straddle him, holding his gaze. "I'd like to experiment. In a different way. Bodily fluids and all."

Will grinned. "Your sexy talk needs work."

"I don't think so."

Yeah, well, he was getting excited in a very good way and it had nothing to do with what they had been talking about. More with the man currently looking at him with such single-minded intensity, Will wondered if Connor Rhodes might not have some Sentinel in him.

They kissed, lazy, exploring each other, and Will lost himself in the warmth and intensity that was Connor Rhodes. From the way the other man was grinding against him they were both very much past sexy talk.

"The answer would be yes," Will told him a while later, completely spent. "To the question before you blew my brains out."

Connor slanted his eyes at him, looking like the cat who got the canary and the cream in one. Damn, the man!

"You can physically shift? Really?"

"If I'm mimicking a shifter, yes."

He could almost hear the gear creaking and the wheels turning.

"And yes, that would mean I'm currently a phoenix, Dr. Rhodes. And no, we don't need to test it, because I think you just killed me back there."

Connor smirked, looking rather pleased with himself. Will wanted to wipe that smug expression off his first.

"You're my first in that regard."

"From what we did, I wouldn't have thought."

Will pulled a face. "You think you're funny? Think again."

Connor kissed him, silencing his words, and he grinned against those talented lips.

*

They arrived at Chicago Medical together for their next shift Monday morning. Will had had to drop by his own place to get fresh clothes, but Connor had waited outside in the car until he was ready, then they had continued on their way together.

No big deal.

There were no meaningful looks, no PDA, nothing, as they headed inside.

Rhodes looked a lot better by now, almost like new – pun intended. The way he held himself, the confidence, the ease… it was no longer a shield to deflect inquiries into his state of mind or his health. He was so much better, more grounded, more… there. Simply there. Where he had been playing a part in the past, it was now him.

Will couldn’t stop smiling.

Yeah, he was responsible for that in no small way.

Connor also smiled more. It was a smile that reached those expressive eyes and it was a smile that came easily. Of course it drew a few looks from new nurses or residents, but Will couldn’t fault them for it. Actually, he didn’t even feel the need for jealousy.

Connor had also shaved off the beard and was back to the scruff. Will had teased him about it relentlessly.

“You’re going to break so many more hearts now,” he remarked in a low voice. “

He felt the connection between them grow exponentially, now that Connor wasn't walling himself off anymore. It was like the phoenix suddenly embraced its existence, wanted Will there. He was aware of the other man, even when they weren't in the same treatment room or even in the ED together. He couldn't say whether he was happy or sad, just that he was here. It was this weirdly warm, heavy sensation in the back of his mind.

Kind of reassuring.

Really nice.

It was also new for the mimic. Usually mimicry lasted for a few hours, no longer than a shift should a patient need it. The same went for the anchor.

Now he was constantly logged onto Connor and it was a good feeling. A really good feeling. It was a hum, a gentle reflection of the phoenix in him, and while he had pulled back the anchor, he was firmly connected to the supernatural entity. It had him smile, feel so very much at ease, like he was on top of the world, and he seemed to radiate it.

Patients relaxed when Will directed his charming smiles at them, professional but still very much connecting to whoever came in with a broken arm or leg, open wounds from falling off a bike or getting run over by an over-eager puppy the size of a small horse. One little girl stopped crying as he gently probed her injured leg as Will asked her about her friends and school and her favorite cartoon.

April teased him about it, asking if he had someone new, and Choi just raised his eyebrows.

"Someone's in a good mood," Ethan remarked.

"Yep," he answered, popping the 'p'.

Ethan cocked his eyebrows. Will just smiled brightly, grabbed a tablet, and was off, a spring in his step.

More cases started pouring in, as not otherwise expected, as the day continued, from simple fractures to complicated, none too straight forward illnesses, to those just seeking attention.

One woman was incredibly fascinated by Will's hair, trying to constantly reach out and touch the auburn locks. She had been brought in an hour ago after she had wandered around the streets, almost causing an accident. When the police had tried to get her name and ID her, she had suddenly pitched a fit, attacked them, then broken down with severe seizures. That had resulted in a forehead gash, scrapes and bruises, and a dislocated finger.

Coming into the ED, she had presented as normal at first, then switching between wildly combative and swooning over Will's hair.

"Seems like she has never seen a redhead before," April remarked, smiling. "Or at least a charming redhead with a scruff and the air of someone on top of the world. You flirted with her, Dr. Halstead."

"I did not. I asked her simple questions."

"Could have fooled me."

"She's old enough to be my mother!"

"And you already have someone," April added, grinning.

Will refused to confirm or deny that.

In the end they had to sedate her because she was screaming for 'Ginger' and 'Red' the moment the attending left the treatment room. She kept trying to touch the red hair, wanted only him, so Will changed places with Natalie, who gave him a sympathetic look.

"That's what you get for being such a cutie pie sweetheart," Maggie teased.

"That or the drugs she is on," he replied, checking the results of her bloodwork. "Not sure if our labs are wrong or if she actually took all of that."

She glanced at the tablet and her eyebrows climbed. "She's a walking drug lab. No wonder she's waxing prose about that hair, Dr. Halstead."

"A minute ago I was a cutie pie sweetheart."

"A minute is a minute." And she was off to the command center.

Connor's knowing smile told Will that the other man had heard about his patient.

"Comments?" he snapped, eyes narrowing.

"Nope."

He dared him to elaborate.

Connor didn't.

Instead Will got an insolent grin. "Ginger, hm?" he murmured under his breath and ducked into the next treatment room, already asking Clarke for the preliminaries.

The fond smile on Will's lips was only seen by Maggie and the nurse winked at him. He wiped it off his face and cleared his throat.

Back to business.

They worked alongside or with each other, had their own patients, shared a coffee or a quick snack between emergencies, and Will was amused to notice the looseness in Connor, the life, the way he held himself and the way he handled patients. He was still quietly competent, driven, a presence in the ED everyone was aware of, but he was lighter. It was like a chapter had been finally closed, the door firmly shut, and a new one had also given him a brand new life.

Not even an emergency surgery stopped that.

"You're rather cheerful this dreary Chicago day," Natalie remarked. They were both standing in line at the food truck, bundled up against the icy air blowing in from the lake today.

"And I'm usually a grump?"

"No." She hopped from one foot to the other. "Must have been a good weekend."

"I could say the same. You are glowing."

She laughed. "Do we know her?"

"You're way too nosy, Manning."

"So we do."

He raised his eyebrows, refusing to comment.

There was a calculating expression in her eyes, then she suddenly smirked. "Ohhhh. Good for you, Will."

"What?" he blurted.

"Our elusive number eleven of the Forty under Forty is now sadly off the market. Too bad."

He blinked rapidly. How…? "What are you talking about?" he managed.

"Will, this is a close-knit community. ED and its periphery is like any living organism. Things travel. Fast. Some guys wanted to start a pool."

"What?" he repeated.

"Well, too late now, but I guess Dr. Charles would have won anyway."

She grinned and walked up to the truck's counter to place her order. Will felt stunned and almost absent-mindedly added his own. Coffee and a simple grilled cheese sandwich.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded as they waited.

"I won't mention the person's name, but I know you finally resolved your issues and figured out you both had an interest in one another," Natalie only said.

"But…"

"Will," Manning interrupted him firmly, holding his wide eyes. "You're happy. Not just one-night stand happy. You're not that kind of guy."

He opened his mouth and snapped it shut again.

"You're my friend and as your friend I'm glad you finally figured it out. You deserve it. Both of you."

Her order was called out and Natalie took the box of shredded meat and vegetables on rice. Will's own grilled cheese followed not a minute later and they both walked back inside, glad to be out of the cold.

"I am," he finally said as they hung up their coats and sat down for lunch, hoping against hope that nothing dire would interrupt them. "Happy."

Natalie's smile was warm, almost loving.

tbc...


	9. Chapter 9

Even though they met up alone in a hallway or a room, they didn't touch or secretly smile at one another. They were just colleagues; and at work. Professional distance was mandatory.

In the privacy of either apartment all restraints were gone and Will got to know the phoenix in a completely different way. Connor was a sensitive and very passionate man. Touch meant a lot to him, judging by the way he reacted to it. Simple human contact, yes, but of an intimate way. Something he hadn't allowed himself to have in the past.

When they slept together the connection flared in a way he had never felt anything before. It shouldn't be possible because a mimicry was a stable event. Any connection he established was. Never to be influenced from the outside, controlled only by the mimic.

This was more. Sex reaffirmed what they already had and it released all that pent-up energy. It wasn't mindless fucking. It wasn't just cuddling and sweet words either; they were red-blooded men after all and Will liked what he saw. Judging from Connor's heated expressions, he reciprocated. It was intense sometimes, the energy between them something almost physical that Will could perceive with his senses, and just seeing Connor let go was beautiful.

He wondered if a phoenix could bond. And if, against all odds, a mimic could copy a bond so perfectly that it became one.

It sounded ludicrous. It would go way past what his abilities were and could be. It was unheard of and such anomalies weren't… well, normal. Or happening.

*

"You might wanna talk to the only other weirdly bonded pair we know," Jay told him over a hot dog as they walked outside in the crisp, cool air coming in over the lake.

"Oh no!" he immediately exclaimed. "No way at all!"

"Kelly is rather laid back when you're not trying to do something you shouldn't."

"I never did anything and just how long is this going to be held against me!" he growled. "I wanted to help!"

"Just ask them. Politely."

Will glared some more. It glanced off his brother, who just smirked at him.

"And for the last time, I'm not bonded."

"You still able to mimic?" Jay asked after finishing off his last bite.

"Yeah, why?"

"Just checking."

"Connor's not blocking my abilities, Jay."

"Well, it sounds like he's front row and center."

Will stuffed his hands into his pockets. "He is," he muttered.

Jay nodded to himself, as if that had confirmed a theory.

"Okay, yes, I have to actively switch from him to a new patient, but it hasn't happened all too much lately. It's not like being a mimic defines me. Thankfully. I'm a doctor. That's what I am."

"But it helped in the past?"

"Not my job," he reiterated.

The last had been a young shifter, all on her own, and Will had mimicked pack for the time he was in the ED. She had relaxed, allowed treatment, and even if Ethan hadn't known what had made her finally give up fighting them every step of the way, he had been visibly relieved.

"When you switch, is he still there?" Jay interrupted his thoughts.

"There?"

"In the background."

"We work together, Jay."

It got him a scowl. "Don't play dense, Will."

He expelled a sharp breath, warm air clouding in front of his face. Will stared out over the lake and wondered how his younger brother knew.

"He is," the brother in question almost crowed. "Oh, Will, you got it so bad!"

Yes, he had. Connor was… amazingly perfect.

"And you say it's not a bond?"

"It isn't!" he snapped automatically. "Mimics don't bond."

"How would you know? Kelly had his own reservations when Casey happened. He didn't need him, had never connected, never used a guide or whatever."

They stopped at the edge of the water, overlooking the lake. "So, why did he bond?" Will finally asked.

"Shay."

"Huh?"

"Leslie Shay. Severide's roommate and best friend. She died in the line of duty. Hit Severide badly. Can't tell you just how bad, Will. Went AWOL. He was about to lose himself."

A multi-aspect losing it was not good. Actually, a Sentinel of his strength would probably go feral if he gave up all sense of civility, only listening to instinct. Losing a friend, a roommate who had meant so much to him, would do that.

"And Casey got him back?"

Jay nodded. "It was a tough time, but I think that triggered something Severide didn't think he might need." He raised his eyebrows.

"Not the same!" Will argued. "Sentinels have the predisposition to bond! All of them! Even the most self-contained. I'm nothing like a Sentinel!"

Jay gave him a long, hard look. "You are what Rhodes needs, right?"

"Yes."

"And while you won't tell me what exactly he is, I think he needs you the way you are. Not exclusively, so you can still work your abilities as before, but he has a claim on you, bro."

And wasn't that the truth?

"Maybe something triggered him, too? Some personal event? Think about it. If not for sensing his supernatural abilities, would you have jumped his bones one day?"

"Jay…" he warned.

His younger brother didn't stop grinning. "You would have. Anyway, you got yourself quite a catch. Molly's is on you next time."

"Yeah, yeah."

*

Maggie caught him alone between one wave of victims and probably the next emergency situation, and she silently raised her eyebrows.

"It's all good," he answered her unspoken questions.

"I can see that. More than good, I'd say. So you worked something out?"

"I don't kiss and tell."

"Oh, Dr. Halstead, that's as good as a confession."

He grinned. "We got this, Maggie."

"You found out what was bothering you about Dr. Rhodes?"

"In a way."

"But you won't tell," she stated.

"It's… complicated and very private. Let's just say that it won't be without bumps in the road, but we got this."

"Sounds serious." She regarded him closely. "Really serious. You sure it's not bond-mate stuff?"

"It's not, but it feels like it. In a way."

"Huh. Mysterious."

"Not really."

She smiled warmly. "Good for the two of you then. Good for you, Will. You deserve to be happy."

He cleared his throat, looking away. "Yeah, well…"

"You might want to let Goodwin know. Especially since there's a connection between the two of you now."

"We're not a bonded pair, Maggie," he protested.

"But you have something."

He shrugged.

"And it's strong. It's special, like a bond. I've seen how it changed Dr. Rhodes. A good change. Tell Sharon." She drew him into a brief, sisterly hug. "I'm really happy for you. Really."

And with that she left him alone again, Will feeling a little stunned.

Yes, it had been a good change. A weight off Connor's shoulders, freeing him in a way he had never dreamed of having before.

"You want to tell anyone, do," Connor murmured against Will's neck, gently biting the skin without leaving a deep bruise. The reddish mark would be gone by tomorrow.

"You don't mind?"

Another bite, this time against the collar bone. "No."

Will closed his eyes and enjoyed the ministrations, finally drawing the other man up for a deep kiss. It grew more heated, arousal clear and hard between them.

"I think I want to keep this to ourselves for a while longer," Will whispered.

Connor was sliding against him, making him bite back a whine. "Your choice."

"Right now my choice would be you stopping to tease!"

There was a devilish glint in those expressive eyes and Will just wanted to snarl at him. His words were swallowed and Connor buried his hands in the auburn locks, straddling him, drawing another groan.

"I love teasing you," the phoenix murmured when he finally released Will's lips. "So, so much."

"I hate you, Rhodes."

"Hm, I know."

Will knew he was a thorough mess. Connor didn't look any better, breathing hard, still laying half on him.

"Damn," he groaned, feeling twinges that would probably still be there tomorrow. It was a good burn.

It got him a raspy laugh. "You bring out the worst, Will."

"I'd call this really good."

Connor pushed himself up and looked into the brown eyes, smiling. It was an almost dopey smile, filled with emotions Will had yet to put into words himself. The pulse between them was strong, still reflecting the passion and fire, and he wondered if this were just Connor's abilities reflecting in the mimicry or something entirely else.

"This is good," he agreed.

Will cupped the dark head and urged him into a kiss, lazy and sated.

Connor's decision to go from ED into Cardiothoracic had nothing to do with their relationship. Nothing at all. It was who he was, the talent, the dedication and the drive to become more, to learn more, and Will knew Goodwin was hoping to have her Under-Forty Department Head one day.

"She does know you're not meeting the criteria, right?" he teased, voice lowered enough that they wouldn't be overheard.

Considering the comings and goings around them, it would be a small miracle anyway. They were swamped with flu victims, people complaining about fever, bad coughs, and one case with pneumonia. It was all hands on deck and Will only had time to quickly assign medication or further examinations for one patient before he was called to the next.

Connor gave him a wry smile. "She does."

Connor was a terrific surgeon, still learning to listen to instinct, to go past perceived limits, and Will was convinced he would be one of the best one day.

Like Downey.

"Dr. Rhodes. Dr. Halstead."

"Ms. Goodwin." Connor nodded at her.

Will signed off on his latest patient to get the paperwork started. The man would be released because there was no cause for him to remain in the ER, let alone the hospital. He simply had a cold.

He gave Sharon a brief smile.

"I'd say good morning, but I can see it hardly is."

"Flu season," Will agreed. "Same old."

"Dr. Rhodes, we have an incoming complaining about tachycardia," Maggie called. "Room five."

He gave her a brisk nod.

"I'm glad you decided to stay, Dr. Rhodes," Goodwin with a fine smile.

A knowing smile.

It floored Will a little and from Connor's expression, he was slightly overrun as well.

"I'd hate to lose you."

And then she was gone, heading toward her office or a meeting.

The ambo bay doors swinging open had them exchange brief looks, then they followed the patient to the treatment room, getting a brisk update from the paramedics and starting their examinations.

They were in the on-call room, enjoying a few minutes of silence and a quick meal. Well, Will had his eyes closed, sitting on the comfortable couch, not really hungry at the moment. He massaged the bridge of his nose.

"I hate flu season."

Connor chuckled and sat down beside him, holding out a bowl of rice and vegetable-chicken mix. "Eat."

"Not hungry."

"Eat," Connor repeated.

He quirked a smile, then stabbed the fork into the lukewarm dish. It tasted better than it looked and as he ate, he felt the hunger coming.

"You think Goodwin had a contingency plan?" he asked after clearing half the bowl.

"Maybe. She knows about me. She knows the risks."

Will regarded him silently, then broke his own rule against bringing their personal relation into work. He leaned over and brushed a kiss against Connor's lips.

The answer was there, just as soft and gentle, and then they separated, Will smiling.

"You got surgery," he reminded his partner.

Connor chuckled. "Thanks for the reminder."

"See you later."

tbc...


	10. Chapter 10

Will ran into Lieutenant Severide five weeks later, when the man and his crew brought in their latest rescue, a woman impaled by a piece of scaffolding that had been flung off a truck and had shot through her car's window and into her. She was dazed, doped up, the metal going through her chest. It was a miracle she was even alive.

Sadly, she didn't make it. Ten minutes into trying to get her stable she flatlined. She had bled out internally, with a torn lung and nicked heart on top.

Will flung his gloves away, furious at the loss and calling himself an idiot for letting it get to him. Doctors lost patients. And this one had had only a slim chance to begin with.

Some days were bad. Some days were worse. And on some days he felt like he could have done better.

"You did all you could," the alpha said softly, joining him at the water cooler. "She was unstable to begin with."

Of course he had tracked her vitals. The guy was multi-aspect, with five heightened senses and an insane control over them.

Someone who didn't need a guide or an anchor, but also someone who had bonded to one nevertheless. Someone who was fully functional without this person by his side, but still decompressing in a way that logic told he didn't have to do.

Someone who might shed some light on whether Connor had initiated some weird kind of mate bond with the mimic or not.

"Pep talk?" he only replied tiredly.

"Just the facts. We're not god. Sometimes we lose."

Will looked into the intense eyes, reflecting something that he had seen in Connor's before, and he gave a nod. Severide held the gaze, as if looking for something, then he suddenly twitched a tiny smile.

He knew.

He fucking knew!

And then the lieutenant turned, heading back to the ambulance he had come in with to get to the station -- only to stop when Connor walked out of trauma three and the two men looked at one another. Will caught himself holding his breath as Severide frowned, already moving to do… what? Interfere? Interfere with what? A staring contest between a phoenix and a Sentinel? Then his face relaxed into an almost-smile. Rhodes still looked tense, but a slow nod had Will relax in turn.

He joined the two men, the knot in his stomach not yet fully loosened.

"You and Rhodes. Wouldn't have expected that," Kelly said slowly.

"We're not bonded," Will hissed, voice low. "I don't bond, Severide!"

"No," was the slow answer. "No, you're not and you don't. Because of whatever the hell he is," he nodded at Connor, "and whatever you are, aside from a pushy anchor."

Connor twitched a smile and Will rolled his eyes.

Kelly smirked. "But it's there, between you. It actually makes you, Dr. Rhodes, bearable on my senses now."

"Come again?" the man in question asked sharply, eyes narrowing, the whole demeanor changing.

Will wanted to roll his eyes at the posturing and just about held back pushing at the phoenix to balance the flaring temper. Connor didn't need balancing. He didn't need a buffer. He was perfectly well controlled, just like the Sentinel now facing him.

Severide smirked. He appeared at ease, the tension he usually radiated not longer there. "You didn't even know," he stared, shaking his head with a rueful laugh. "You gave off a challenge, doc. Really strongly. Kinda like now, only worse. Sharper, ragged, too many uneven edges. Whenever someone challenged you, you postured on a level only a few can pick up."

"Like you."

"Yes, like me."

"And now?"

"Now you're still powerful, but I don't feel like I want to tear your throat out."

"Good to know." As wry as Connor sounded, Will knew him enough to know the other man was still under shock.

Severide shrugged, looking at Will. "So whatever this is, it makes you bearable, Rhodes. Call yourself lucky you didn't go against an unbonded or untethered super with my abilities. It would have been so ugly on so many levels."

Connor was speechless for a moment, then pulled himself back together. The flares went down. Kelly smiled; a real smile that reached his eyes.

"What you two have? A good thing."

With a last nod he was gone.

The tension level evened out.

Will felt himself relax.

Damn.

So much for getting an answer. He had, in a way, but from the way Connor looked, it had thrown up even more questions.

"I need coffee," the phoenix muttered and stalked past him.

Will followed. "Told you. Heavy hitter," he told Connor in a low, slightly teasing voice as he leaned next to him against the small kitchen. The TV in the background was running the latest game, but Will only glanced at it briefly.

"I had no idea."

He grunted, watching people move around through the thick glass doors.

"And you somehow keep me… grounded?"

"I'm just that good," Will quipped.

The impish smile launched a warm wave inside him and Halstead called himself all kinds of stupid names because of it. He didn't do gooey warm stuff. Connor brought out the worst in him.

"Maybe you are."

Oh hell! There it was again!

Connor gently bumped their shoulders together, then went back into the hubbub of the ED to check on one of his many emergency patients.

*

He stood on the roof terrace of Chicago Med, breath clouding in front of his face, huddled into the thick winter jacket. His legs were feeling slightly numb, only covered in the red scrub pants, but Will hardly felt it.

All he felt was this deep pain inside, overriding all other discomfort.

He knew it was rather freezing out here, but the cold also kept him from just curling up in a dark corner.

She was dead.

Dr. Rowan had died peacefully an hour ago, with Will holding her hand as she slipped away from multiple organ failure. She had had a long, fulfilled life. It had been a life teaching, a life of helping young, hopeful students into becoming nurses or doctors.

_“Treat the patient, not the disease.”_

She had left an incredible impression and Will had tried to practice by her teaching, and he had made the right decision in the end to let her pass on, to stop trying to save a life that had already slipped through his fingers.

As much as it had hurt.

And it hurt a lot.

Will’s eyes were on the million lights shining in the dark, a beautiful sight that he couldn’t enjoy.

It was past his shift end already, but he hadn’t gone home. Didn’t want to.

There were soft steps, then a presence next to him. He glanced at Connor, equally bundled up, and met the inquisitive eyes.

“I heard,” the surgeon said softly.

Will dragged his eyes away to the scenery below.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Nothing I could do.”

He had felt so helpless, grasping for straws, trying to bring back the woman he had once known. She had lived to a ripe old age, had left an incredible legacy, and she would be remembered by so many. She had influenced countless lives, had saved even more.

Tears welled up inside and he felt that damn lump in his throat again.

Connor said nothing, just stood close, coats brushing against each other.

“You want to go out for a drink?” he offered after a long time of silent vigil.

“I don’t think alcohol and I are a good combination right now. But thanks.”

It got him a light scowl. But Connor accepted his decision.

They stayed together for a long time, Will leaning on the silent support in a way he had never thought possible, and when they walked inside, Connor was right there.

“The offer’s still there,” he said softly. “I’m on a consult, but…”

Will shook his head. “I’m good.”

He wasn’t.

“Go home, Dr. Halstead,” Sharon told him when she caught him lingering around.

He didn’t want to. He wanted to go down to pathology and keep vigil over Dr. Rowan’s forever still form, despite how his logical mind told him that it made no sense.

“Go home,” she repeated.

He did.

Walking for a long time, past bus stops and train stations, until he finally had to take the bus to get home.

Thankfully there was nothing but soda in his fridge or he might have broken his own rule not to get drunk when he had ED the next morning.

Connor came by two hours later, holding up a bag of take-out like a peace offering, lips quirked in a quizzical smile.

Will chuckled. “You bring food. Come on in.”

His place was nothing to write home about, but right now he wouldn’t care if Connor decided to immediately leave the tiny apartment again. The numbness of before hadn’t gotten less and he was actually craving company of any sorts, though he hadn’t felt the drive to go to Molly’s.

Will ended up in his partner’s arms, tears tracking down his face in a silent confession to his mood.

Connor said nothing, just held him.

It was absolutely enough.

The funeral was a few days later.

Will had no idea how many people would turn up, but he wasn’t surprised to see dozens. While Dr. Rowan had had no immediate family left, her former students had come in their place. Will saw familiar faces; lots of them.

Sharon Goodwin was there with him, a solid presence, a rock, despite how her eyes reflected incredible sorrow, too.

Connor didn’t ask verbally, but Will felt the powerful presence with him, even when the other man wasn’t in sight.

He returned to ED, immersed himself in his work, knowing that this was what Dr. Rowan would have wanted. It was what she had taught them.


	11. Chapter 11

They started living together. Of sorts.

Will had his own place, as had Connor, but they rarely spent time alone. Connor's apartment was bigger than the cubby hole Will had moved into after going close to broke and finding no fitting roommate. Cash flow was still moderate to a trickle at best, but he made due for now.

Clothes migrated, as did personal things, but Connor never offered a permanent move and Will didn't want him to anyway.

Yes, he had next to no money and still had to pay for a place he rarely ever used. Yes, it would help to put that money into paying back loans. And yes, he was too proud and too stubborn on that front, too.

For now he was only too happy to explore this together with his new… partner? Lover sounded so… crude. Boyfriend didn't fit them. Mate was… wrong. They weren't bonded. So whatever they were, it felt amazing.

Connor had started to relax, in private, among their friends and colleagues, and even at work. He was still dedicated, passionate and sometimes throwing a little bit of alpha power around, but he decompressed better.

A lot better.

They didn't have to sneak into a supply closet or the washrooms for that. Will was quite aware of the phoenix, being logged onto him, though it didn't limit his own secondary abilities to anchor someone. He even managed a mimicry, still aware of Connor in a weird echo kind of way, and actively giving a patient the much-needed reassurance of kin close to her.

They fit.

Like a glove, one might say, but with some sharp edges left.

He knew it was way more complex and complicated in one. It was them on a level no one else could achieve.

The living situation didn't change. In fact, it was a safety line, it was something to fall back upon to give them room when needed, even though Will knew the rent would kill him financially one day. But he had gotten himself through college all on his own, and he would get through this, too.

And as much as he hated to admit it, their differences popped up whenever he had bills to pay.

Connor had money to burn; Will had to think about what to spend it on, besides necessities. He tried not to let it eat at him, and Connor never said anything, but he felt the small spikes.

Protective instinct. Worry.

Damnit! The man was more Sentinel than phoenix sometimes and it was driving him crazy!

Will gave in when it came to mooching food off Connor. It was a tiny surrender, a confession as to how bad it was, how much extra shifts helped, and how little breathing space he had.

His car died one night after the end of his shift and the road side assistance guy gave him a sad headshake.

"I can tow it, but I'm not sure you're gonna get it running for less than it would cost to sell this piece of metal."

"Yeah, well, thanks," Will muttered.

So he was out of a car.

Great.

He didn't tell anyone. He just hitched a ride with colleagues now and then, otherwise took public transportation, which was mostly a headache in waiting.

It was after New Year's, a shift they had both spent in the ED, seeing way too many drunk accidents again, that the heating in Will's building went out.

His life really sucked.

He made it two days before he finally caved, cursing his cheap landlord. Yes, the guy had sent someone to look at the problem, but heating wouldn't be up and running for a few days. Replacement parts were needed. Space heaters had been handed out, but those drove up utilities, so Will was screwed either way. He finally swallowed his pride.

Connor never batted an eye when Halstead lugged in a suitcase full of necessities.

"Is that all?" he wanted to know.

"All I was able to carry."

There was a moment of silence and Will caved.

"Car's dead and gone."

Connor's expression shifted through several expressions, clearly trying to process what Will was telling him, then he stayed with a frown.

"Don't!" Will only said and pushed the suitcase into a corner, sullenly choosing a beer from the fridge.

"Then I won't," came the soft answer.

Halstead shot him a challenging look, refusing to back down from the perceived confrontation, even though there was none. It was just him.

Connor watched him calmly, absolutely non-confrontational. Will stared at him, emotions in turmoil, then he looked away.

He sat down next to Connor on the couch not much later. A game was on.

"Wanna car-pool?"

Will shot the other man a brief look, saw the twitch along the lips, humor dancing in those eyes, and he finally let the anger slide. None of this was Connor's fault. At all.

"Split the gas money?" he offered.

"Sounds good."

Nothing else was spoken about the situation, the car never mentioned again.

*

Matters started to smooth, their new life together balancing slowly, though neither had actively brought up the apartment space situation and living arrangements. They had their ups and downs, their arguments, and they made up. And it wasn't always make-up sex.

Sometimes it was small stuff. Lunch. A snack. Coffee. Or just an invitation to Molly's where they would share a drink.

Their colleagues either knew about them without ever saying a word or had figured it out and approached either man. Will wasn't too surprised that after Maggie came Dr. Daniel Charles. The man was way too perceptive not to be next. He might have known a lot longer anyway.

"You will be good for him, Dr. Halstead," he older man said calmly. "He finally found what he needed."

"And you think I am what he needs?" he joked.

"Watching you fight and make up, seeing how Dr. Rhodes reacted to you on a subconscious level, I think he needed whatever it is you gave him." Charles regarded him with a slight smile. "I know your talents, Dr. Halstead. You are good at what you do, as a doctor and as a mimic. You are at your best when it comes to Dr. Rhodes."

Will stared at him, flabbergasted.

Charles smiled.

"How…how did you know?"

"A few incidents. I suspected you to be a buffer or anchor. Some of your cases calmed down in your presence. One or two took it personally, probably because it felt like an invasion."

"So you jump right to mimic?"

Another brief smile.

Will's eyes narrowed. "Empath?"

"Oh no," Charles laughed. "Not at all. Empaths would never last that long in an environment like this. Yes, they make good therapists, but in an ER setting or any kind of high stress set-up they burn out very quickly. I am very much untalented. I like to observe, Dr. Halstead. I noticed a few more things. I'm also very interested in the preternatural world, so I read up on some ideas I had. Mimics aren't commonly known and rarely if ever get diagnosed correctly."

"But you diagnosed me?"

The older man smiled more. "Just now."

It got him an eye-roll. Way to play the mind game.

"Which gets me to Dr. Rhodes, who I haven't been able to pinpoint, though I doubt you will tell me what your partner is."

"Not really, no."

Charles inclined his head, accepting the answer. "You seem to have found a… connection that suits both of you. You are more in tune when working together and the tension has lessened."

Will shrugged.

Charles drank his coffee, his eyes crinkling with the smile he was hiding behind the mug.

"My professional opinion? Keep doing what you are doing, Dr. Halstead. It is what both of you need. Arguments are healthy. Professionally and personally. It's everything else that matters."

With that he rose and walked off.

Will remained behind, chuckling. Yeah, he would keep doing what he was doing. He liked it a lot and he loved what it did to Connor.

As for the arguments? Well, they both enjoyed them, pitting their professional opinions against each other, convincing the other that a diagnosis or way of treatment was the right way. The only personal clashes happened over stupid stuff, mostly on Will's side. He still had to learn not to shoot off his mouth whenever he felt like Connor's financial status was rubbed in his face again.

Yes, he needed to learn. In many ways.

And he would.

The heating was back, though unreliable, and while the landlord gave in and reduced rent for the time his tenants had had to move or suffer with inadequate heat, Will knew he had to go looking for another place soon.

Connor didn't comment on how often he still spent the night at his place, or the days off.


	12. Chapter 12

ED kept them busy. Always. Connor had rotations that brought him down into the hubbub and chaos, and sometimes they worked side by side.

Patients rarely got violent. Mostly they were either in too much pain or too much out of it to put up much of a fight. Outside the usual, that is. Sometimes there was a scuffle, but never for long. Sometimes harsh words were uttered, even threats. Sometimes relatives would cry and scream, insult doctors and nurses, make demands or tried to force themselves into a room. That was quickly and professionally handled, too.

Those with an edge, the supers, were handled, too. The ED was well-trained and everyone knew what to expect when one of the stronger or more resilient ones came in, though those were mostly law enforcement. They had themselves under control or had partners with them to help out should someone lose control.

But sometimes, one moment stood out.

Sometimes it weren't the patients but the relatives who lashed out in their grief and pain.

Sometimes…

Will was in a room with a now resting patient after performing an emergency tracheotomy when all hell broke loose. There were sounds of equipment being flung around, a deep voice yelling something he couldn't make out, then splintering of glass breaking. He was out the room and heading for the noise when he saw a bear of a man rampaging through one of the treatment rooms.

Security was already running toward the area, nurses and other patients had scattered, but Will's eyes found the well-known figure of his partner right there, in the middle, next to the bed of what looked like a woman on a ventilator that had just been turned off. He could make out some stats on the monitor and knew she was dead.

Connor was talking to the rampaging man, hands up in a soothing gesture, eyes never leaving the guy. A guy who was two heads taller than the trauma surgeon, broad-shouldered and generally built like a brick wall -- and currently not in the mood to listen.

Will felt the surge, saw the eyes of the bear of a man change into something bright golden, and he knew they were going up against a super, a shifter. The mimic felt the impending shift, the way the man's body was preparing to undergo a change, and he knew the guy was only one more temper flare away from a physical shift.

"Please, no!" he breathed.

And then Connor was backhanded with such force, he went down hard. The man had lightning reflexes and it had happened too fast to even get a warning.

Connor didn't move.

Security was on the man.

Will felt his world freeze, despite the very real fact that to kill a phoenix it took more than a few blows. For a wild moment he wanted to run over to the motionless man, check on him, but that would put him right into the middle of the melee.

So he stayed.

Fingers clenching into fists, feeling helpless and high-strung, just waiting for the green light.

Which came just minutes later as the man finally broke down, tears streaming down his face, eyes on the woman on the bed. He was stammering her name as security dragged him away, and suddenly there were police, too.

Will ignored everything and slid to the ground beside the unconscious Rhodes, quickly and professionally assessing the situation and barking out orders. Connor's neck was strapped into a collar and onto a backboard, and he was wheeled into to another room. He was already coming around, moving faintly. The large amount of blood coming from the head wound painted a garish picture on his pale skin. Coupled with the swelling cheek and eye it made for a horrifying sight.

"Connor? Keep those eyes open!" Will ordered as his own eyes strayed to the read-out on the monitor as April attached electrodes to monitor heart and pulse rate. "Look at me!"

The blurred gray eyes found his and he fixed his wavering gaze as much on Halstead as he could. There was pain there, and fear.

"Good. Now breathe. Calmly. You got knocked around a bit and I need to know how badly."

"'m fine."

He grimaced and looked up, meeting April's calm gaze. "Doctors, hm?"

"Worst patients," she agreed with a tight smile.

"I want a full head CT," he ordered. "Including the spine!"

Connor groaned.

"Keep him on oxygen, monitor BP."

Connor's protests were drowned out. Will remained calm, professional, never losing his focus on the patient.

Maggie dropped in, a police officer hovering behind her.

"He's in no condition to talk to anyone," Will snapped. "CT! Now!"

April and Doris moved the bed and pushed past Maggie and the officer. Will snapped off his gloves, gnashing a curse.

The CT came back negative.

They cleaned up the blood on Connor's face and Will determined that the wound on his head needed a few stitches. Otherwise there were bumps and bruises, and one eye would be a nice shade of black tomorrow. His neck and back were fine, though he would probably be sore from the sudden impact on the ground.

Painkillers had been administered and Connor looked a bit dazed at the moment. There were wires attached to him, monitoring his heart and pulse. It was mandatory.

"You're getting a nice room. We'll keep you over night," Halstead decided, glaring at the other man as Connor opened his mouth to protest. "No argument."

"I'm fine!" Rhodes still tried.

He looked into the determined gray eyes and let some of his own determination bleed into his expression.

"You're not. Not sure what the guy is, but you can call yourself lucky to come out of this without a broken bone. You hit your head, but your pupils are equal, blood pressure's fine, as are oxygen sats. Observation is mandatory and you know it."

The glare intensified.

Will refused to let himself get swayed. "You don't get a say in this, Rhodes."

"I do. I can release myself."

He leaned in closer, meeting the stubborn gaze. "Humor me," he said softly.

Connor blinked, looking a little lost for just a second, then the fight drained out of him. Will smiled, soft and loving.

"Thanks," he whispered, then straightened up again.

April busied herself with her pad, shooting him a quick, knowing smile. Will grimaced, aware that this would probably make rounds faster than a flu virus.

He finally let his senses reach out, pushing past the professional boundaries, and he felt nothing amiss. Connor was a steady presence, strong and still limitless in his energy. It was the same rush he experienced whenever he let himself log onto the phoenix as an anchor, not just a mimic. It was the most complete connection he could form and it was the most intimate.

He had only ever done it with Connor. With anyone else it had been either or.

Will relaxed marginally, briefly squeezing one wrist. Connor's smile was slightly hazy.

News trickled in slowly after the rampaging husband had been taken away by the police.

Connor had only been down in ED for a consult concerning a cardiac issue and had assisted when the woman's condition had suddenly worsened. She had died while Rhodes had been trying to save her life, the damage to her heart too great, the organ already faltering, and her husband and bondmate had simply lost it when even the last life signs had faded.

Everyone who understood even the basics of what that meant winced in sympathy. And everyone was simply glad the guy hadn't just shifted. That would have been a mess.

Connor didn't press charges.

The hospital wouldn't either.

"Take him home, Dr. Halstead," Sharon told him when she walked into the tiny cubicle Will had used to type up a few reports.

"Bad patient?" he asked as he leaned back with a knowing smile.

It was ten in the evening, an hour before the end of his shift. Connor had been under observation for almost eight hours now and was probably raising hell.

"Doctors are the worst."

"My shift's over in an hour. I'll make sure he gets home."

She nodded. "You do that. I don't want to see him here tomorrow either. We already made shift switches, so tell Dr. Rhodes to take it easy and not bother showing up."

Will chuckled. "Will do."

Connor looked a mess. His back was black and blue, his face bruised from the blow, one eye black, and the stitches were standing out against the otherwise pale skin.

He moved with care, showing how much he hurt and he was exhausted from adrenaline and pain meds.

"Bed. No argument," Will ordered.

And there were none.

Connor collapsed like all strings had been cut, a soft groan leaving his lips.

He leaned over the dazed man, touching careful fingers to the bruised skin, barely a breath of a contact that caressed the cheek and then brushed over the right temple.

"Sleep."

"You?" was the quizzical murmur.

"Let me brush my teeth first."

When he slipped into bed next to the other man, Connor was already out like a light.

A phoenix didn't heal faster than a regular man. Connor felt the discomfort of the deep bruises and moved accordingly. His face was a colorful map as it healed, but there was no lasting damage to his eye.

Goodwin forced three sick days on him, but Connor insisted he could at least do some paper work and consulting.

Will rolled his eyes.

"You're impossible. Take time off. You're scaring the patients."

It got him a glare, but at least Rhodes stayed with the paper work.

*

Moving in together had happened gradually and over months, but when Will's lease ran out and his ass of a landlord increased the rent from sky high to orbital, Connor offered a temporary solution: staying in his bachelor pad of a place together.

Someone had once told him that the secret to a successful long-term relationship was to stay out of each other's way. Sound advice. Really good advice. Especially when it came to men like them. They needed private space sometimes; Connor's apartment provided little of that.

So Will started to look for a new place to stay.

Days became weeks. Boxes cluttered up the living room and part of Connor's bedroom. Self-storage would bust his budget and so he had gotten rid of what he didn't need prior to moving and only the basic necessities had come along.

The decision to get his own place again had been standing way before Connor had offered. They needed their space and space was not what this apartment had.

Connor handed him the tablet one evening, the page showing a nice little place in a good part of town and in reasonable distance to Gaffney. Will read through the description and his brows rose abruptly.

"That's a house!"

"Good deduction. What gave it away?" Connor teased.

"A house!"

Actually, a rather nice, detached Greystone, and very well maintained. Two levels, three bedrooms, patio in the back, a large entrance, and an outdoor space right outside the master bedroom. The inside was a mixture of classical and modern, with a steel and glass staircase leading to the upper floors. Everything was newly renovated with an open concept style.

Will stared at it. The house as dream! Then he narrowed his eyes at Connor.

"Is this your way of asking me to move in with you?"

It got him a shrug. "Would you? It's enough space to give us room when needed."

"And ruin me." He held up a finger and glowered at the other man. "And you're not going to sponsor me either!"

"Will," Connor sighed and shook his head. "This isn't about that."

"That you're a Rhodes? That you have a lot more money than I do?!" he snapped, the old grievance flaring up again.

For all their growth, one difference had remained: the money. Will couldn't support himself for a month without freeloading off his partner and that partner could throw money at food trucks and buy everyone their lunches. It was a very sore spot. It made him feel inadequate.

"This isn't a power play, Will," was the gentle, reasonable reply. "If it ever came to that, you would win anyway."

"What? What are you talking about? I'm lightyears from gaining any kind of reasonable income to actually survive in a city like Chicago! New York would have me live in a card board box under the bridge! And that would probably ruin me anyway! I'm up to my eyebrows in loans!"

"You're a mimic, Will Halstead," was the quiet, even answer. "Right now you're mimicking me. Your life is in tune with mine. Should you decide it's over…"

"I'm not dumping you!"

"We're not bonded, Will. We're just two people being together, sharing space…"

"Good god, you're such a dense idiot!" he hissed.

"Just realistic."

"No, this is you being a total bone-head!"

"Will…"

He held up a hand and Connor fell silent. Yes, he understood where the other man was coming from.

Connor would be the one to suffer. Because it meant being alone again. Because Connor wasn't an ass who would jump from relationship to relationship, dump the other when things go problematic because of his penchant to come back from the dead. He was the one who suffered because everyone he knew would die and he would live on. Looking younger again. Always back to that first death. Like a fucked up Groundhog Day revival. Only he would relive decades, not just a day.

"Okay. Okay…" Will gathered his flaring temper and pushed the tablet aside, facing his partner. "We both need to adjust here," he said, calmer than he felt. "Me maybe more than you. At least financially. I'm going to pay off loans for half my life! I just… it feels like I bring nothing into this! You're loaded!"

"Money isn't the root of all happiness."

"Nope, but it helps breathe a little more."

"Money was never my happiness. I might bring the bank account, but you bring everything else, Will. Everything."

"Oh, gawd! You're a sappy sap at heart!" he exclaimed, eyes wide.

Connor smiled and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, he truly felt that smile, too.

"You're not going to be dependent on me," he went on. "Just… pay off your loans. I know not to even offer helping there. Please move in with me," he added.

Will knew there was so much more behind the words and nothing in the world could ever describe what it must be like to always face being alone in the end, uprooting one's life and make it anew somewhere else because of one's abilities.

"Okay."

The gray eyes lit up and Connor looked like a little kid all of a sudden. So hopeful, with such intensity.

Will leaned in and kissed him.

It would be okay.

They moved two months later.

After another argument when Will found out that the place wasn't a rental but actually belonged to Connor Rhodes. The guy had bought the damn house! A house!

He had to remind himself that in a few years he might just be able to call himself a good earner, too. That in another decade or two things would even out. That in the long run, he would be able to contribute more.

Connor simply had a head start of almost another life time with a trust fund and whatnot.

Goodwin didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow as they informed her of the new living arrangements. By now the whole ED had caught up to the fact that something had happened to the two men, that something connected them that was more.

There was enough space to give them room, to be together and still find privacy.

"I think I love you," Will told the man in his arms.

"You think?"

"Might be reflux, but hey…"

Connor laughed and pulled him into a kiss. "I think I love you, Will Halstead. Or it might be a seizure. Not sure yet."

"Hm, sounds about right."

The smile was open, loving, all shields down. Connor looked happy, eyes lighting up and crinkling at the corners.

Yes, he was incredibly happy. And Will was the reason.

tbc...


	13. Chapter 13

They adjusted to a life together, sharing a place. The house gave each of them the space necessary when needed, but it was also somewhere to be together. Will found he liked the open-plan concept, the light feel, the protected back yard and patio. He still refused to let Connor pay everything, insisting to go half on the utilities, but not paying full rent anymore was a load off his shoulders.

Will had convinced Connor to have a house-warming party. Nothing fancy, just inviting their friends over. They had the outside space to have a nice get-together, everyone bringing a dish, and to just have fun. Connor had simply shrugged and agreed that it was a good idea. In the end it wasn't just friends and colleagues from Med, but also CFD and CPD.

Work went mostly smoothly. There were ups and downs, winning against injury trauma and illnesses, losing against simple infections that had been left untreated for too long. Connor came down for consults or on ED rotations, both of them professional in their work environment. There were still lunch truck meetings or a brief break over at the coffee machine.

Will was still able to mimic, but in the back of his mind he wondered if he ever truly logged off Connor. Their connection was always there, in the back of his mind while he helped someone else in the unfamiliar and stressful environment of an emergency treatment room, handling a sudden onset of symptoms or suffering from accident-related injuries.

He ran into Casey and Severide from time to time. Once it was when he had been called away to the accident site where the victim had been pinned down, bleeding, while the building was about to collapse on them. He had noticed the Sentinel's assessing look, but aside from relaying what they knew about the victim and his condition, no other words were exchanged.

Will knew something had changed in both of them, Connor and him. He didn't dig in too deep, never let his thoughts linger.

Everything was good.

Their personal and professional lives.

Nothing else mattered.

*

It had been a family quarrel. Nothing more, nothing less. Rejection, pain, loss, and then desperation. Finally there had been anger and mindless rage. It had all started with a young woman being admitted with facial abrasions, bruises, and thirty-eight weeks pregnant. She was sixteen, accompanied by her father, Joseph Cooper, and the future mother of the child she was giving up for adoption. She had been in a car accident and had been in to get checked out.

The problem had been the ex-boyfriend.

Who wanted to be a father after he had never expressed an interest before.

Who refused to give his child up for adoption.

Who got into an argument with the girl's father.

Who had suddenly flipped and pulled a gun.

Will hadn't really been there from the beginning since the young woman had been Natalie's patient. He had only heard about a car accident victim, that she was sixteen and pregnant, then he had been called to his own patient.

But he had been there for the rest.

Actually, he had been right in the middle.

The blood pouring out of the gunshot wound in his abdomen was evidence enough. As was the progressing inability to breathe normally. His lungs were struggling to supply oxygen to his body. Pain shot from the wound and he groaned, or at least he thought he did. It was only now that Will realized he was flat on his back, on the floor, and there were others around him.

People were screaming.

Another shot was fired.

Glass splintered.

"Stop moving!"

…

"I'm a doctor! Let me take a look!"

…

There was loud arguing, some screaming and yelling. He was jostled and the pain had him almost black out. A faint whimper of a groan left his lips.

…

"We need to get him to a trauma room right now! Do you understand?"

…

"The bullet went through! I have an exit wound!"

…

"Maggie, I need a backboard!"

…

Then he was suddenly moved.

…

"Hold on," a voice whispered. "Just hold on."

…

"Keep pressure on that wound!"

…

More pain. Someone was pushing down hard on the wound, trying to keep the blood from pouring out.

There was another whimper and it had probably been him. Someone was tugging at his clothes, someone else was doing something to his face. Then oxygen flowed into his nose and he tried to pry his eyes open.

"BP is dropping!"

Will was fading.

"We have to stop the bleeding!"

Sound was muted.

"He needs to go upstairs to surgery!"

"I need blood, plasma and platelets! Now! Otherwise he dies!"

His eyes were failing him. He wasn't getting any more air.

Then even the sounds were gone.

*

_He's a mimic. He's mimicking a phoenix. He is a phoenix. He is… me._

The sentences ran through Connor's mind like a mantra as he worked on Will's bleeding form. His partner was hooked up to monitor, chest bare and blood-smeared, the jagged wound covered in more red. Each breath was a struggle and Connor could hear the fluids in his lungs, obstructing his breathing.

The shooter was standing outside, staring at the scene, eyes wide in an ashen, sweaty face.

Connor was fighting to keep Will alive, barking orders, startling the shooter.

The man waved his gun at whoever tried to go into the treatment room. It was only Ethan and April with Connor, both quickly and professionally assisting where they could.

_He's mimicking a phoenix_, Connor thought desperately.

Because he was losing the fight.

Outside there was more shouting, more commotion, but Rhodes didn't care.

Will Halstead stopped breathing.

His heart stilled.

The monitors screamed and Connor immediately flicked off the sound. With the gunman outside the trauma room, no one would come running anyway.

Choi grabbed the paddles, but Connor shook his head. "No."

"Connor…"

"No!" he said, putting some more power behind the one word.

Doing his alpha thing, Will would most likely tease.

It was too late. No matter the patient, no matter the treatment, this was where any doctor would accept that they had lost. Massive blood loss because of inner bleeding, multiple trauma… Connor had seen injuries like this one before. It didn't matter if it had been a projectile ejected from a gun, from a nail gun, shrapnel from an explosion, or something foreign driven into the human body through an accident. The vitals had been evidence enough that no matter what they did, Will had been bleeding out inside.

Choi stared at him. "Connor… I…"

He shook his head once.

Outside the shooter was demanding to leave with his girlfriend and baby, his voice rising, a hysteric edge to it that spoke of him losing it completely any time now. Someone was trying to calm him down.

Connor's mind was racing. Will was mimicking him, the phoenix, which meant he would recuperate. The rebirth would happen.

Hopefully.

No! No, don't think like that. It would happen!

April's face was gray, eyes wide and starting to fill with tears. She looked lost and alone, drawn between being a professional and being their friend.

Connor knew it never took him long to heal whatever had taken his life. A phoenix immediately regenerated, though some more severe injuries might take longer. The first time had been the hardest, accompanied with dizziness and headaches, with a general exhaustion, so Connor suspected it would be the same for his partner.

The bigger problem was that two people had seen him die.

When he came back… Connor bit his lower lip. Would they have to leave? Neither Choi nor April would believe that it had been a fluke. Will's blood was everywhere, his skin drained and white, and the machine had clearly shown no heartbeat, no pulse.

Connor glanced at the screen.

There was a loud commotion outside, more yelling from the crazy guy with the gun, then the loud bang of a shot. Connor clenched his hands into fists. The sound of the glass door splintering was followed by shouts from SWAT.

They had all ducked, April cowering in a corner, eyes filled with fear. Ethan glanced out the door, body taut, ready to spring into action.

The monitor blipped.

April's whispered "Oh my god…" had Ethan whip around and his eyes grew wide.

The pulse was getting stronger, heartbeat, while a little erratic, was picking up, and then Will's chest started to rise the first time. He drew a raspy, shaky breath.

"Oh my god…" April repeated, straightening slowly. "He's…" Realization settled in. "He's alive… he came back…"

Connor knew it was too late when Choi stepped forward and pushed two fingers against Halstead's neck. His dark eyes were comically wide, mind working high time, then his eyes were drawn to the entry wound.

It had knitted closed.

"What the…"

April quickly checked outside, where SWAT already swarming into the treatment rooms to make sure there wasn't a hidden second perp. A decisive expression settled and she grabbed wipes and gauze, reacting to the danger of discovery like the professional she was as a nurse. Ethan caught on to it as April pushed the supplies into his hand, already tearing open the first pack, and they taped the wound quickly and efficiently. April wiped the blood away as best as possible and Choi pulled the wires off Will's chest. He switched off the machine.

His dark eyes met Connor's. "We will talk later," he said in a low voice.

Connor knew the cat was out of the bag, but in that moment he realized that both his friends were ready to protect both of them, hiding their discovery, and he shot them a thankful look.

April's expression was drawn, tense, but she held up her professional face and Connor was very thankful for it.

The door was pushed open and everyone lifted their hands as SWAT checked the room.

"We're doctors," Connor immediately called out. "He was shot by the man outside. We need to get him to an OR!"

The officer's eyes fell on the unconscious man on the bed, then ran over the three medical professionals, all covered in blood and clearly trying to save another's life, then called an all clear.

Connor had snapped back into alpha mode, no-nonsense, not tolerating any crap, and the officer reacted to it like the trained professional he was. Maggie joined him, sharp eyes taking in the taped wound, the blood everywhere, and Connor's hard expression.

The lieutenant in charge nodded his okay and Connor quickly wheeled Will out of there, past Goodwin and Manning, both looking shocked but okay. Maggie and April accompanied him, keeping everyone at bay, and Sharon was already ushering everyone outside as the CPD took over.

They pushed the bed into an empty room, Maggie already clearing matters with the nurse on duty.

"Cindy will handle everything from here," she told Connor a few minutes later, voice calm and take-charge. "She understands it's a preter matter and that you and I are going to clean him up and do what we have to do. She will handle the medical file, so you tell her what goes in there, okay?"

Connor nodded. "Thank you, Maggie."

They briskly set to work.

Maggie didn't so much as blink at the reddish line that seemed to be fading as she wiped off the blood. Cindy came in to assist, equally unflappable and quietly competent.

Connor was grateful to them both. Cindy pushed the tablet into his hands and raised pale blond eyebrows. Connor got the message and started to type.

"He needs rest," he told the nurse on duty when he gave it back. "He'll be fine, I don't expect any complications, but he will sleep a lot now."

She nodded as she hooked up fluids that ran via an IV into Will's hand.

Connor forced himself to relax.

It wasn't over. He wouldn't run. He wouldn't… they wouldn't…

But instinct was a sharp voice in the back of his head. Will was keeping him anchored here, kept him from bolting. He felt the unwavering connection, strong and alive, grounding him, reassuring him.


	14. Chapter 14

Detective Jay Halstead arrived at the hospital within an hour after the shooter had been taken down, looking harried and pale, like a breeze could topple him. The younger Halstead hadn't been on scene for the hostage situation and he had probably heard of what had gone down at Med through the grapevine.

It had been a difficult, terrifying hour for him, of that Connor was sure. To know his older brother had been shot in a place where he should be mostly safe, aside from maybe a scuffle or some shoving. There had been that before. The worst had been a drug addict doing a cold turkey, crashing at her home, then flipping as she was treated. Clarke had had a black eye to show for a week after that.

Jay had been made to sit and wait until Will had been released into a room, despite his insistence to see his brother. Maggie had once again instructed Cindy on a few matters, swearing her into not revealing anything to anyone. While Cindy was neither preter nor super, her best friend was an elemental and she understood the need to keep some things under wraps.

Jay had barely looked surprised to find Connor in Will's room. His eyes roamed over the silent form of his brother, whispering a heartfelt 'Thank God!' as he stepped closer.

Will was alive. He was breathing, he had a heartbeat, and he was sleeping soundly. Knowing how much a first regeneration took out of the body, Connor could say from experience that aside from maybe a fire alarm going off, nothing would wake the other man. They could probably get into a loud argument and only draw a twitch from him.

"You heard what happened?" the trauma surgeon asked.

"Yeah. We all heard about the shooter at Med, about a hostage situation and SWAT going in. There were rumors that the guy had shot a doctor. I prayed it wouldn't be Will." He grimaced as he looked at his sleeping brother. "But it was him."

Connor scrubbed a hand over his face, his hair already tousled, standing on end. "It was him," he echoed, voice more steady than he felt. "Because he walked out of the treatment room and right between the shooter and the intended victim. It was an accident, but a bad one."

Jay cursed softly. His eyes were on his older brother. He finally squeezed Will's lower arm and looked at Connor.

"How bad?"

"He is stable," Connor answered neutrally, trying not to go into detail. "Sleeping. They gave him some heavy pain meds." Lies. All he could do was tell lies right now." He can go home tomorrow."

There wasn't much he could say anyway. The wound had knitted together, there was no scar, and except for a faint red line which would be gone in an hour, there was no trace of the injury. Will had a strong, healthy pulse and heartbeat, and his oxygen saturation was perfectly fine. If not for the fact that too many people had seen him get shot, Connor would have taken him home and let him sleep off his first rebirth there.

Jay's eyes were fixated on Will; a very much alive, healthy looking Will. He wasn't in ICU, there weren't any tubes leading in or out, and aside from the IV and the monitor, nothing hinted at anything being wrong with him.

"He was shot," he murmured. "He was hit by a bullet!"

Connor's lips formed a thin line.

"And it's nothing but a graze? Really, Connor?"

He met the blue eyes, so unlike his brothers dark brown ones. They were such complete opposites, from appearance to abilities, but they were family and the protectiveness Jay showed was proof enough.

"I know you and he are connected," Jay continued, voice hard, that of the detective. "I know he mimics you and that it gave you something you needed. He never said a word about just what you are."

Connor's brows rose, but he didn't respond.

"I'm not asking you to reveal your abilities either. I don't really care."

"But?" Connor probed, because there had been a 'but' coming.

"Something happened in that ER. The shooter was convinced he had killed my brother. He hit him almost point blank. I saw Natalie when I came in. She looked as bad as could be, telling me that Will was hit. She didn't say anything about a graze."

"Will is alive."

Jay's eyes flashed a warning. "Something happened," he growled. "Something bad. I know what my brother is and what he can do. He's been experimenting with his abilities for all his life and I've seen him do crazy stuff. Aside from maybe a shifter, people don't just shake off a point blank inflicted bullet wound! Whatever he is mimicking when it comes to you, it's special or weird or crazy enough to not talk about! With his own family!"

"He was only grazed," Connor said mildly, using his best doctor-bedside-manner voice.

With Jay it had the opposite effect. "Don't give me that shit, Rhodes! He wouldn't be here with only a graze! You would have dragged him home and sat on him, but not here!" Jay gestured wildly at the sleeping man, who hadn't so much as twitched at the loud words. "He's completely out! What happened?"

Connor pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt tired.

"I want the truth!"

He met the flashing eyes, putting some of his supernatural side into his whole demeanor. Purposefully. Doing what he had done when facing Severide, though that had been more on an unconscious level, but Connor knew how to bring out the alpha when needed. He did it whenever he was in the OR or facing off against opposition.

Jay suddenly blinked and almost took a step back. He had a preternatural predisposition, Connor knew. A sixth sense and two moderately heightened senses, sight and sound, which were the most common. He had picked up on the shift of energies, of Connor asserting dominance.

"Are you asking as a detective of the CPD or the younger brother?" the trauma surgeon asked, voice steely, no-nonsense.

"Is there a difference?" Jay demanded.

His stance had shifted, he had become more wary, and his eyes briefly narrowed at the doctor.

"Yes."

Jay blinked at the simple, clear-cut answer. He muttered a curse, then massaged his forehead with his fingers.

"Okay." He exhaled. "Okay. There's a difference. Well, for me there isn't, Rhodes. This my brother! I'm a detective, but this isn't my case, so I'm asking as the brother, not the CPD officer."

Connor gave him a humorless smile, then nodded. "Okay. I'll spare you the medical jargon. The bullet hit Will at close quarters. It nicked his lung, did major damage to the spleen and stomach. There was massive blood loss and he flatlined. We couldn't bring him back."

Jay opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again. He looked at Will, visibly struggling with the evenly delivered words, then abruptly sat down in the visitor's chair. One hand reached for Will's and clasped it.

"He's alive…" he stuttered.

"Yes."

"How…? He… died? And he's alive? It's… what you are? What he is mimicking? What the hell are you, Rhodes?!"

Connor's expression remained absolutely neutral.

"Damnit… Shit…" Jay breathed. "Oh god… He's okay? Really okay?"

"Yes. There is nothing wrong with him. The wound has closed, the inner organs have healed. He's sleeping, which is to be expected after the ordeal. It was draining him quite severely, which is also normal for this kind of first time trauma. And I will take him home tomorrow."

"First time? First time trauma?! And you covered his… death?" The last word barely a whisper.

"Yes."

"And he'll be fine? Completely fine?"

"Completely. He is already completely fine, Jay. He simply needs rest."

Jay closed his eyes and briefly bowed his head. He breathed in and out, calming his nerves, calming himself.

"He was shot."

"Yes."

"And he died."

"Yes."

"He came back."

"Will mimicking what I am… saved him," Connor said softly. "Believe me, nothing I am is hurting him."

Just thinking that the same would most likely have happened even if Will hadn't been so closely connected to him made Connor want to be sick. Being a phoenix had saved the other man. Only that had saved him. Anyone else would have died.

Jay was silent, then nodded slowly and opened his eyes. "This is… fucking crazy."

He was still clasping Will's hand in both of his, pale and drawn, trying to work through the revelation. Will slept on, oblivious. First time regenerations took all the body could give. It was absolutely exhausting. Connor remembered his own first time, how he had drifted in and out. It had been accompanied by a murderous headache, most likely linked to the fact that his first death had been a broken neck.

Connor knew it would take some time, probably result in more questions as the younger Halstead understood just what had really happened, that he had actually lost his brother and only his mimicking of Connor's supernatural ability had saved him.

He also knew that the truth would come out; probably sooner than later. Jay wouldn't just let it rest. He would want to know what had really gone down.

Jay left an hour later, still visibly shaken, which was as good a cover for Will as anything. Not that it had been planned, Connor through wryly. This was a natural reaction to all the revelations.

Maggie was there when Jay stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive, and she raised her eyebrows at Connor as she walked into the room.

"How is our patient?"

"Sleeping."

"Good. He needs his rest." She automatically checked his pulse. "What about Detective Halstead?"

"Jay doesn't know what I am. He knows his brother died and then came back. He's trying to understand."

"That will take a while. It's pretty strong stuff, especially when you're directly involved and it just happened. How are you?" she wanted to know.

"I'm fine, Maggie. I wasn't the one to get shot."

Her expression begged to differ, because in a way he had suffered just the same. He had tried to keep his partner and friend alive, had watched him die, and he had prayed and hoped that Will could really mimic him down to an effortless rebirth.

"We'll be okay," Connor answered her unspoken question. "The moment he's out of here and at home."

She nodded, looking a lot more satisfied with that answer.

"What's going on in ED?"

"Crime scene techs are still all over the place. I think I saw Voight there for a moment."

Connor shot her a surprised look.

"We're still rerouting to other hospitals. Med's not happy, but right now it looks like a war zone down there. We might be in shutdown for another hour, then CPD promised to release those rooms not directly involved in the incident. Sharon said you're off the roster for the rest of the night."

Connor wanted to protest, but her stern expression silenced him.

"Listen to her, Dr. Rhodes. You are needed here. If we need a cardiothoracic surgeon and no one else is available, you're up. Until then, sit tight with Dr. Halstead. You know he would go wandering off when he wakes up alone. We can't have him blow your cover."

"Thank you, Maggie."

"You don't have to, honey. I don't know what you are, but I know it saved Will's life."

Connor raised his eyebrows.

"That man has had it bad for you since day one and he started to mimic you since day one. I've seen it in all its stages, from spats to moping to arguing and pining. Something you two are just… resonates. That's why he is alive now. You are the reason he is alive."

Connor refused to blush, the tight smile only softening a little. "Maggie…"

She smiled warmly, knowingly. "Take care of him, Connor," she said, then she was gone.

*

The room was actually quite nice. It had a view, was private, and it was away from the elevators and the general hubbub of the nurses' desk. Will had no idea who had been bribed to let him stay here, but he it was a sure bet that Goodwin and Connor had somehow been involved.

His wound had been tightly bandaged to cover the completely unblemished skin. He was still tired, fading in and out, but he was never unconscious. He simply napped for stretches at a time.

An IV ran into one arm. The monitor showed a good pulse and steady heartbeat.

He was okay.

He was absolutely okay.

Just so tired.

The regeneration had taken a lot out of the mimic and he was recovering slowly in that regard, while his physical condition was back to normal. The tiredness masked what had really happened and visitors who had dropped by now and then quickly left again.

"Cover blown?" Will murmured.

Connor ran gentle fingers through the always tousled auburn waves. There was a soft smile on his lips, reflecting a similar tiredness to Will's.

"Kinda."

"Sorry."

"You didn't plan on getting shot, or did you?"

"Wasn't on my agenda."

"Good."

Will yawned. "Is it always like that?"

Connor brushed his palm over the scruff of a beard. "My first time drained me completely. I was a wreck for a week. The migraines were murder. The second one was smoother. That's when you get the energy boosts."

"Yeah, well... Not planning a second time any time soon," Halstead joked.

Connor's face reflected nothing but seriousness and worry. Will clasped their hands together.

"Connor…"

"You died, Will."

"You know I'm mimicking you, you idiot. I am a phoenix."

"We couldn't be sure… You couldn't be sure when you stepped in front of a gun…"

"I didn't step in front of a gun on purpose," he said, seeking and holding the other man's eyes. "And I told you many times before, I don't copy. I am that super or preter. I'm you."

Connor was silent, still holding his hand, anchoring him in so many ways. Will wanted to laugh at the idea. He was the mimic with the anchoring ability, not Connor, but right now his partner was doing more of that than himself. His thumb brushed over Will’s skin, a calming, repetitive motion.

He pulled gently and Connor lifted one corner of his mouth as he took the hint. He leaned over the other man and kissed him softly.

"One more thing."

"Hm?"

"Ethan and April were there. When you flatlined."

Will froze for a moment, eyes widening, then resignation settled in. "They know?"

"Yeah."

Silence. Then, "Now… what?"

"Now we're out."

Will's lips twisted into a grimace at the bad joke.

"Everything else… there was no time to talk about it, actually. April and Ethan helped hide how your wound was already knitting closed, and they covered concerning the severity of the injury, too."

"So…?"

"I don't know."

Will expelled a breath. "Damn."

Connor nodded solemnly. "Damn."


	15. Chapter 15

Dr. Ethan Choi dropped by the next morning, face giving nothing away. Will was awake, had had breakfast, and he was very much looking forward to going home. Taking up room in the hospital while he was perfectly fine didn't sit well with him, cover or no cover.

Jay had been in briefly a second time, smiling widely at seeing his brother awake, and they had talked. For a long time. And not just police stuff related to the incident.

Sharon had been fielding questions, downplaying what had happened in the ER concerning the doctor who had been injured, and Will's medical file reflected it. There was an entry concerning a gunshot wound to his abdomen, but the severity had been changed to a deep, messy graze. No major organs hit, just a lot of blood loss. His loss of consciousness had been attributed to hitting his head as he went down and the shock to his system.

Both Will and Connor knew that they would have to sit down with those who now knew, who no longer had vague suspicions but would ask questions.

One of those people was now in the private hospital room, arms crossed in front of his chest, face a mask.

Connor was already there. He had only left to shower and get himself breakfast, then made himself at home in the room again. Will didn't really mind. It was comforting to see his partner and they had talked at length about the shooting and his death.

"Ethan," Connor greeted him, sounding more reserved than usual. "Have a seat." He broadcast an air of command and control. There was a sharp expression in his eyes and a tension in his body that spoke lengths.

Will wanted to roll his eyes at the subconscious posturing. The man wouldn't back down from any confrontation, verbal or non-verbal.

He was sitting up in bed. His face held a healthy color, there was not even a scar left, and he no longer felt tired. One night's sleep and things were… okay.

And he had reset only three years. Marginal changes, barely visible.

Choi sat, appearing a little bit wary. "You're looking well for a man who came back from the dead," he said neutrally.

"This wasn't how I imagined to come out." Will tried a smile to ease the tension.

"You are already out," Ethan replied. "Which was never much of a surprise when it came to the two of you. This," he nodded at Halstead in the bed, "is. You were shot, you went into arrest and we lost your sinus rhythm. You died, Halstead, and you came back." He leaned back in the chair, eyes holding a calculating look. "You are a supernatural."

"No, not really."

"By general definition of a supernatural status, you are."

"I am the supernatural," Connor told him levelly.

Ethan's eyes whipped over to the surgeon. And narrowed.

"Preternatural," Will added, shrugging. "Not a super."

Choi frowned at him. "You came back from death, Will. By definition that's a supernatural ability."

"Yeah, well, that's where it gets complicated. You see, it's not my ability. I'm a preter."

Ethan crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Care to explain what I'm falsifying records for?"

Because he had been doing that without questions asked. April had backed him up, smoothly covering for Will. They would have to talk with her, too.

"It's… complicated?" Will tried.

"Uncomplicate it for me," the other doctor stated neutrally. "I might not be a preter or super, but I've met and treated my share in my time in the Navy. I've had shifters in my care who pulled through devastating injuries, some of which had them almost die on my watch. They would have died if not for their genetic difference. Whatever happened down there, no one knows aside from Goodwin. That woman has been covering your tracks and removing evidence from the moment SWAT took over."

Connor's brows rose. Will exchanged a look with him, their silent communication not lost on Choi.

"This isn't public knowledge," Connor finally said slowly. "Aside from Sharon, no one knew the full truth. Until now."

"I figured." Ethan crossed his arms in front of his chest again.

"And it's not something that can ever become public knowledge." The warning that swung in his voice had the other man narrow his eyes.

"As long as Halstead doesn't keep dying in the open."

Will snorted. "Right. I had planned that. Sue me."

Choi grimaced.

"It's not Will's talent that brought him back," Connor said neutrally. "His abilities are preternatural. I'm the supernatural and I can change my… physical condition."

Which was the best neutral description for 'recovering from death and resetting to an earlier age' that Will had ever heard. He almost smirked.

The other doctor's brows dipped in a thoughtful expression. "You're not a shifter."

"No."

Ethan was silent, staring at them, meeting Connor's hard expression without flinching. He transferred his gaze to Will.

"You're no shifter either."

"Nope. Preternatural, like I said."

Ethan's frown stayed. "You're no empath. You wouldn't last in a hospital or the ED that long. You have a good connection to some patients sometimes," he listed. "You can put them at ease and it's not just that million-watt smile."

Will chuckled, shaking his head.

"Considering your brother, who I know is a low, two-sense Sentinel, you might be guide material."

"Nope."

"But you know how to anchor someone. You did it with some." He looked at Connor. "But I've never heard of a preter who can turn super."

"I… have two abilities," Will explained slowly. "Anchoring is the secondary one. My primary is… mimicry."

Ethan opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again. "A mimic? You're a mimic?"

"Yep."

"Holy shit…"

"Kinda."

"Which makes you…?" Choi prompted, meeting Connor's still hard eyes.

"I trust you, Ethan. It's not something I say to a lot of people," Connor told him. "Outside family, only Sharon and Will know what I am. No one else. I trust you not to betray me."

Ethan's frown darkened. "Why would I?"

"Because being what I am paints a target on my back. I'm a doctor by choice. I save lives. I'm not taking them."

"What the hell are you?" Ethan snapped.

And they explained. Well, Connor did, in few, precise words.

Their colleague and friend was clearly chewing on the revelations, but he didn't look as shocked or disbelieving as others might.

"You met someone like me before," Connor stated after a brief silence.

Will's eyes narrowed. "You have?"

Ethan's lips thinned. "I think so. At the time I wasn't sure what I had seen, but I knew he had died. I had tried to save him from a gut shot not unlike yours. He bled out. We didn't find his body when we returned and I thought I saw him a week later, quickly disappearing in a crowd, like he was running from us." He gave them a sharp look. "So you're going to run?"

Will snorted. "Not planning to. Unless we have a reason."

Ethan smiled wryly. "I'm not going to tell people you came back from the dead. I also understand why you're not openly flaunting what you are. Any government would be happy to have an agent who can't die. Two, if you figure the mimicry into the equation."

"What about April?" Connor wanted to know.

"We talked. She suspected you were a preter. She just didn’t realize how right and equally how wrong she was. I know Sharon talked to her, with Maggie present. I think April will want to talk to you, too."

"Sharon talked to her?" Will blurted.

"She is protective of her doctors and nurses," Ethan stated with a fine smile. "She would move heaven and hell to keep you two. I won't tell anyone," he added, more serious again. "I've covered for preters and supers in the Navy. Not everyone wants their personal abilities out in the open. A doctor sometimes has to know when it comes to how a treatment can influence what you are and vice versa. Some shifters need a hellish amount of anesthetics to put them under, others react to the slightest trace of an opioid. You made it to my number one for craziest ability, Connor. But this is still confidential and I won't ever tell anyone."

"Thank you," Will said, heartfelt.

"Just don't show your face for a week. That's what it takes to heal the deep graze you sustained," Choi told his patient.

"Yes, doctor."

It got him a brief smile.

Then Ethan left.

Will expelled a breath and let his head sink into the pillows. He felt Connor take his hand and they interlaced their fingers. He met the gray eyes, saw a million emotions in there, and he knew he felt the same.

Ethan Choi knew. April Sexton knew. And he was convinced Natalie would look into the incident as well. She had seen him get shot, was a doctor and knew that the placement of the shot had been a serious threat to his life, and she wouldn't really accept a graze had been all he had sustained.

"You okay?" he asked the slightly rattled looking man next to him.

"No," Connor replied truthfully.

"Neither am I."

It got him a shaky little smile.

Will squeezed his hand. "I'm here," he said, voice low. "You're not alone in this."

The shaky smile turned into a weak laugh. "This is going to get viral, Will. More people will know."

"And we'll deal with it. There are worse things to be than a phoenix."

"Uh-huh."

"Coming back from the dead? Pht! But a five-aspect Sentinel working in CT? That's noteworthy. Or a full empath. Not to mention an all-levels elemental. And what do you think an alpha shifter would be seen as?"

Connor's shoulders dropped a little as tension drained out. "Yeah."

"I know old habits are hard to break, but maybe your family wasn't always right when it came to you. You can trust people. You trusted me. And before me, Sharon."

It got him a nod.

Will squeezed his hand again. "And I'm hellishly protective, Connor. I'm not going to go down without a fight."

"Against who?" There was a twitch of a smile there.

"Whoever comes sniffing around."

Connor leaned over and kissed him. "I can fight my own fights, Dr. Halstead."

"I know. But now you have back-up." Will reached up and cupped the dark head, drawing him in for another kiss. "And friends."

In a way it was liberating to have more people in the know. Connor still wasn't completely at ease, but he was getting there.

April wasn't working the early shift when Will was released, but Natalie had been there. She hugged him.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said softly.

Will smiled warmly. There had been a time when he had been interested in her in a different manner, despite his attraction to Connor Rhodes, but they were only very good friends now. There was also the not so small matter of Natalie getting together with Jeff Clarke. Will liked Clarke, who was on his way to becoming an ED resident. The man had been a firefighter ones, had gone to medical school, was a talented doctor in the making, and the many positive feedbacks were hopefully leading to a residency.

"Thanks," he replied in the same tone of voice.

The dark eyes were suddenly piercing, intense, the single-minded attention almost making Will squirm.

"I have questions," Natalie said.

"Give me some time?"

"You have it. But I want answers, Will Halstead. More than I have gotten before."

"I promise."

Natalie's searching gaze suddenly shifted into a smile. "Okay."

Neither Connor nor Will planned to walk through the ED, electing to make it home without running into well-meaning friends. Will signed himself out of the hospital at the nurses' station on the third floor. He read over his personal medical file, impressed by his friends' work. It read serious enough to fit the close encounter with a bullet, but not so serious that he wouldn't be able to come back to work within a week, maximum ten days.

Maggie gave him the raised eyebrows that said 'did you expect anything less?'.

"Thanks," he told her.

"You are welcome."

It was only when they were safely within their shared home that Will wrapped an arm around the other man and pulled him close.

Connor went without resistance. A violent tremor shivered through him and Rhodes squeezed his eyes shut, head falling forward. He bumped his forehead against Will's chest, groaning.

More people knew about him now. After a lifetime of hiding, suddenly his ability was out in the open, outside family or a few trusted friends, and it was causing stress for the super. Will understood. He carded his fingers through Connor's hair, gently combing the shorter strands at the back of his neck. The connection between them was alive, warm, filled with emotions neither wanted to talk about. It was this strange kind of bond that was not normal, in Will's opinion. Because neither of them was a super or preter genetically predispositioned to find a partner or need an anchor.

It had also gotten stronger. It was nothing like before, so present in their minds, their very souls, and Will felt the phoenix with him all the time.

Jay had called them weirdly bonded.

Severide had commented on it before, too.

Who knew anything at all about a phoenix and what this special supernatural needed in their life? Maybe a phoenix did need a partner, someone to share their repeated life-cycles. Maybe they needed stability, a balance only given by someone who wasn't the same as them? Mimics were infinitely adaptable, which made them perfect to react to a phoenix's needs.

They stood like this for a long time, then Will urged them over to the couch.

"We'll be okay," he said softly.

It got him a thin, brittle smile. Connor was still fighting the old instinct to bolt, to run and hide. Will was probably the only thing keeping him from packing his bags and disappearing.

"You trusted Sharon with what you are. I know that you know we can trust Ethan and April."

"How many more before it leaks and someone from whatever agency gets wind of it first knocks on our door?" Connor asked sharply.

"I'm not going to look over my shoulder or start getting paranoid, Connor."

The steep lines between his eyes appeared as he frowned. "Part and parcel of being the perfect weapon," came the dark reply.

He met and held the turmoiled eyes. "We are not running."

Connor clenched his hands into fists.

Will silently watched the pale, tense features, noticing that tension creeping through Connor’s whole body. He leaned a little closer, almost in physical contact but still with a tiny gap between them. He let one knee bump against his friend and partner’s.

Connor started to relax a little.

Will reached out and placed a gentle grip over the tight fist.

"Please," he added softly. "You have friends. Family isn't always by blood, y'know. Trust them. They won't take this outside."

"I do trust them."

"Then relax. It happened, we can't undo it. I also want to come clean with Jay. He's my family, and yours now, too." He smiled widely.

Connor nodded slowly. "Natalie might not believe in a miraculous graze either. She saw you getting hit. April and Ethan covered you in every single way, right down to taping the wound, but she will know something's up."

"She more or less already told me she thinks so."

"And you want to tell her."

"These are the people we have worked with for years."

"I know."

"So?" Will probed.

"Your brother?"

"I know he won't just stop being a detective, even when it comes to family. He's been around my weird mimicking before, so he knows how I work. I want to tell him the truth, Connor. And Natalie. It helps in having allies and friends."

Connor was silent and Will just waited. Finally he leaned over and pulled Will into a soft kiss.

"I trust your judgement."

Halstead grinned. "I have very good judgement."

"Doubtful."

"Hey, I chose to not sock you every time you pulled rank and made an ass out of yourself. That's good judgement."

"You also walked out of a treatment room when there was a guy with a gun in ED."

Will scowled. "I didn't know that."

Connor kissed him again, pushing him back onto the cushions. The kiss grew more intense, deeper, and Will felt the emotions racing through his partner in a way that was almost physical. His senses picked up the flares, how the phoenix pushed closer, and his own mimicked phoenix responded in kind.

He wanted this man.

Badly.

Connor's hand slipped under the loose shirt and pushed it up, the gray eyes straying to the unblemished skin as if trying to find a trace of the injury.

"I'm okay," Will told him. "And I want you. You know I'm okay, Connor. It was a rocky first rebirth, but nothing was left. Not even a scar. You know it. You checked."

And Will stripped off his shirt to reveal pale, freckled skin. Connor's hand stroked over the stomach and side, exploring the healed area.

Will let him. As much as he wanted Connor to let go, he also knew the other man needed this.

It was like the phoenix couldn't believe that this has really happened, that the evidence didn't lie, that it was reality and not just wishful thinking. They had the proof now; they knew.

Connor's thumb ran over the former injury site, the pressure light, the sensation resulting in no pain.

"I'm fine. You know I'm fine."

Gentle fingers explored his face, along lines only Connor could see, over the stubble, dragging through his hair.

The next kiss was with more heat, more force, and Will wrapped his arms around the other man, very much okay with where this was going next.

He was hyper-aware of his partner. It was like a conduit of energy was suddenly open between them, heat and fire and something even stronger coursing through him. The weird energy of their connection flared, enveloping him, pushing and pulling, and Will groaned as spikes of arousal flooded him. Connor grinned against his lips. There was a light in those gray eyes that had Will want to do so many, many things. Sweaty, naked, messy things.

From the hunger reflecting in Connor's face, he must have read the same in Will's expression.

They relocated to their bed.


	16. Chapter 16

"So, how was work, honey?"

Connor's frown was almost comical. No, scratch that. It was comical. The two steep lines as his brows drew down, the twist of his lips, the flash of the gray eyes, all of it had Will grin that shit-eating grin as he watched his partner walk in the door. He stretched, showing long, lean lines, and got up.

"Don't call me honey," he growled.

"Bad day, I get it. Well, Natalie called. Told me about Dr. Ava Bekker."

The scowl deepened.

"Sounds like you have some competition."

"She's not competition," Connor snapped and stalked past him.

Will followed and leaned against the door jamb as Connor changed into more comfortable clothes than scrubs and a jacket. He liked watching, so sue him. And he liked what he saw; a lot. Will would never say it to Connor's face, but the other man looked hot when pissed off as he was now.

"She's a nuisance."

"Ah."

"What."

Hm, not even a question, just the word almost bit out. Yes, Connor was in a mood.

"You like competition, Connor. You thrive under pressure. You get better when trying to prove you're right. You pull impossible stunts and find crazy solutions or come up with hare-brained ideas. You're the rising star in cardiology, next in line for heading the department."

Rhodes snorted, but he didn't argue.

Will shrugged. "You might have headhunters from Mayo after you in a few years. Maybe even months."

"Not interested."

"Riiight."

The gray eyes flashed.

"You can't tell me you would turn down an offer from a renowned institution like Mayo."

"I wouldn't." Connor walked over to the couch and plopped down, looking tired and worn. "But it's not happening any time soon." He accepted a beer from Will. "She argues over treatment in front of patients, changing what I order!"

Will smirked. "Sound familiar?" he teased.

Connor grimaced. "She's not you."

"I hope not. I look better."

"You don't even know Bekker."

"Does she look better?"

Connor looked him up and down. "Depends on what assets you look for."

He chuckled. "I know which assets you like."

"Yours."

"Good answer."

The other man slumped against Will, eyes closing, and Will just gently urged him to put his head on Halstead's lap. Connor gave a soft sigh as Will ran his palm over the broad, muscular chest.

"You're one in a million," Connor murmured. "That one, unique fit."

"Hm, charmer."

The lazy smile said it all.

"So, tell me more about the charming Dr. Bekker."

Connor did.

Jay picked him up three days into his so-called sick leave. Will still didn't have a new car. Money was still an issue. Connor didn't touch that subject with a long stick and Will was trying to save up enough to get himself some small but reliable vehicle. So far, no luck.

They car-shared, which was all fine and good, but right now it rankled him that his own brother had to give him a ride.

"Swallow that pride," Jay advised as they headed for lunch. "Connor's loaded, right?"

He glared at him. "So?"

"So let him buy you a car."

"I'm not the girl in this relationship and I sure as hell won't let him buy me a car!"

Jay snorted. "No, you're not the girl, though you throw hissy fits like some of my exes."

"Bite me."

Jay grinned and pulled into the parking lot of the small diner that was frequented by law enforcement and had one of the meanest cheeseburgers this side of the state border.

They were greeted by some of Jay's friends and colleagues, and Will gave them all a friendly wave.

"Seriously, what's your problem?" Jay asked after they had ordered.

"I don't have a problem."

The waitress brought their sodas, then left.

"Really." Jay's brows rose. "You fought tooth and nail moving in together into that house. You would rather have camped out on someone's couch than ask your partner! You only moved into his condo because your shit heating went out."

Will glowered at him.

"So what if he has money? That's not why you are together, right?"

"No," he answered quietly, fingers drumming on the refinished laminated table top. "No, it's not."

"You love him."

Startled brown eyes met smiling blue ones.

"I know you, big brother. I've seen you pine after women, even date some for more than a night or two. It was never this serious. You and him? You bitched about him all the time, you complained, you ranted. And you liked him."

"Jay…"

"You love him, Will. He loves you. If he buys a second car and you use it? What's the harm?"

"I don't like to be dependent on anyone's money, Jay. You know that!"

The cheeseburgers arrived and both men dug in.

"Listen, I know you have this giant… chip on your shoulder when it comes to money. You got where you are all on your own. I'm really proud of you."

Will's brows climbed a little and he chewed on his fries.

"But I think this is very different from college and medical school. This is your lives together."

Will ate silently for a while. He knew his brother was right.

They switched topics, going over the latest games, discussing strategies, players, scores, and Jay's attempts to get tickets for the next one.

*

He shouldn't have been surprised to find Matthew Casey on his doorstep, but still, it was a surprise. The blond was alone and in his civvies.

"Did something happen to Severide?" he blurted the first thing that came to mind.

Casey smiled, almost laughing. "No. This is a friendly visit. Why would you think the worst first?"

"Your jobs? The fact that he's a five-senses alpha and runs into the worst situations that would overwhelm any other Sentinel? Maybe because you're here alone? Or maybe because neither of you ever dropped by before?"

"Everything okay, Halstead. Like I said, a friendly visit."

And Casey came bearing gifts. A six-pack of Molly's special, which was twice as expensive as any beer served there and well worth the dollars spent. Matt held out the six-pack with a laugh.

Will chuckled and took it. "Better than flowers."

"Didn't figure you to be a flowers kind of guy." The captain followed him into the house, looking around with an appreciative nod. "Nice."

"So where's Kelly?" Will asked as he put the beer into the fridge.

"Working."

"Try the other one. You have the same shifts."

"He picked an extra?"

Will scowled. "Okay. I see. Well, here's how it is: neither Connor nor I are Sentinels or shifters. We're not territorial. I don't get the alpha vibes half the time I'm in the same room with one."

"The two of you are a very strong combination, Dr. Halstead."

"Will."

Matt inclined his head. "Will. Anyway, I know Kelly and Rhodes clashed a few times and while there's a kind of truce now, supernaturally speaking, Kelly didn't want to risk it. And we heard you were shot. An injured mate makes the alpha dangerous."

"I'm good. And we're not mated."

Casey looked dubious. Will spread his arms a little.

"I'm absolutely fine. As is Connor. Goodwin just wants to make sure, so it's a week off from work. It was a graze, nothing more, nothing less."

The firefighter didn't look like he believed one word of what Will was saying, but he didn't call him out on it. Severide might have caught the lie right away, depending on what tells Will might have.

"And as I said: not mated. Connor isn't going to tear anyone's head off."

"I'm not sure that's the case anymore, Will."

He scowled. "So what? Severide's got a case of vampirism and needs to be invited over the doorstep again?"

Matt laughed, shaking his head. "You know I'm not a guide, right."

Will nodded. "Not by any classification, yeah."

"I'm Kelly's buffer or shield, whatever he needs, but not a guide. My guide potential is somewhere in the lower numbers, barely registering with any Sentinel. Ask your brother. He never picked me as one." Matt smiled humorlessly. "So empathically speaking I'm close to a zero on any scale. What I can do is be the lightning rod Severide needs sometimes. But I'm not stupid, Will, and I can sense psychic connections. Like yours."

"Whatever you're getting, it's not a bond."

"What I'm getting is weird and nothing I've ever picked up before." Casey shrugged. "I agree it's not your run of the mill bond. I know it's been there for a long time, steadily getting stronger, and now it's like this… fact between you."

He had no idea what to say to that.

Casey shrugged again, almost apologetic for not being able to make it any more clear.

"So, tell me, what the hell happened at Med?"

Will appreciated and accepted the change of topic, but his mind was running Casey's words over and over in the background nevertheless.

They talked about the ED incident, Will telling the captain what he knew first hand, what he had been told had happened after he had lost consciousness.

"You gonna testify?"

"I don't think so. I was out for all of it, aside from hearing the first screams when he flipped. I can't even really remember getting shot."

Or dying, he thought to himself. He had just faded.

When Will offered a beer, staying with soda himself due to his 'injury' and 'being on meds', Casey accepted and they watched a game. Will rather enjoyed the other man's company.

It was how Connor found them when he came home, both rooting for opposite teams, clearly having fun. Casey met the other man's eyes, his whole posture reflecting calmness and a laid-back ease to not challenge the supernatural.

"Captain Casey," Connor said calmly.

"Dr. Rhodes."

Will grimaced. "Can we just all agree that we are friends?" he asked. "Yes, Severide is an alpha and I blundered into that one situation. As did Connor, challenging him over the treatment of a team mate. But I think we can all agree that's the past, right? Months ago! Chill, guys."

Casey chuckled, running a hand through his short hair. "I keep forgetting you are neither a guide, nor an anchor, or a shifter's mate. The two of you are just… giving off confusing vibes."

Connor put his bag on the chair. "Not on purpose."

"Kelly said it has gotten better since the two of you hooked up."

"We didn't hook up," Halstead muttered, shooting him a dark look.

It got him a smirk. "You refused to define it as bonded."

"And we're not bonded!"

Casey's grin was unholy, teasing, and very much knowing. Will glared at him some more.

"You up for Molly's?" the captain asked lightly.

"I'd prefer Keino's, if you don't mind," Connor told him evenly.

More of a neutral ground, even if Connor knew the owners. It would be easier for both pairs, though Will had never seen Severide get territorial. That was more up a shifter's alley.

Matt nodded. "Alright. I'll let Kelly know. Let's start over?"

They did.

Keino's was busy was usual, but Connor being best friends with the owner helped secure them a nice, secluded table. Kelly apparently approved, the Sentinel instinctively checking the area before he sat down. Severide had met them at the Hawaiian style bar, in his civvies, and he had been as laid back as Will had never seen him before.

It was a nice evening, with good food and drinks, and Will could see clear signs of the powerful alpha relaxing into the friendly atmosphere. The tension around his eyes had disappeared and his stance had shifted from wary to open.

He pushed his knee against Connor, the only physical contact between them, and received a small smile from his partner.

"Something happened to you guys," Severide stated calmly over drinks and food. "Something serious. I still don't get a sense on what you might be," he looked at Connor, who kept an absolutely bland expression, "but this is about you, Will." He raised his eyebrows at the mimic. "The two of you are tighter. There's a difference to what's been before the hostage situation."

Connor refused to be baited, almost immediately closing himself off. Kelly smiled wryly. He was still projecting calmness and ease. No tension at all. No aggression, no demands.

"Yeah. That."

"We are not the enemy, Connor," Severide stated calmly. "I know you fiercely protect what you are. You protect what Will is to you, despite refusing to call it a bond. I understand a protective instinct." He glanced at Matt. "Even if you think you don't need that person in your life, that the connection formed without your active participation, and even if you think nothing has changed, it has changed you. It changed me."

Will's brows shot up with the open words. The lieutenant smiled humorlessly.

"You know what I am. I never needed anyone, but that changed. Suddenly there was a balance to my life, a safety net, that I was never going to be alone. I can see and sense all of that in you. You're not like me, but in a way you are closer than many Sentinels I've met." The green eyes seemed to be even more pale, a lighter color. "You might have thought you knew everything about what you are, Connor, but I think Will's connection to you changed something. You have changed."

Connor stared at him, silent, almost stubborn. Will leaned closer without physically moving, feeling Connor's turmoil all too clearly.

"I want you to understand that we are on your side, that I would protect those I consider friends." Severide smiled, calm and open.

Will's brows rose.

Connor met the green eyes. "Trust is something I can't give easily," he finally said, voice emotionless, walling himself off.

"Because of what you are," Casey stated.

"Because of what I am. This will take a while."

Will watched them carefully, aware that Casey was doing the same, keeping an eye on matters, but there was no tension. He didn't see this heading somewhere out of control, though. Actually, the two alphas were on a rather even wave length. Severide was actively reaching out to… what? Reassure Connor he was safe?

"Sentinels don't have packs or family like most shifters. We give our trust to one person, one bond mate."

Kelly didn't even glance at his own anchor, but the connection was there. They were too seasoned a team to not be fully aware of one another. Will saw and felt it easily, without actively sliding between them by mimicking an anchor or buffer. He had had his confrontation with a furious multi-aspect alpha and he had learned his lesson. But despite being permanently logged onto Connor, he still sensed it very clearly.

Yes, his abilities had evolved. He really didn't want to think about the reasons all too much, though.

"I understand that trusting anyone else requires a lot of work," Severide continued. "My station is my family. We have to trust each other blindly. All of us are close because of the job we do. I have to rely on them, they have to rely on me." His voice was quiet, calm, soothing. And still strong and intense. "I'm not Battalion Chief, not even a captain, but I'm a Sentinel. Trusting someone with the knowledge who and what you are is different for you than it is for me. Multi-aspects are normal. Like shifters, elementals and empaths."

"I'm not."

Kelly smiled humorlessly. "I figured. Nothing about the two of you is normal."

Will grimaced.

"You have come a long way, Halstead," Severide told him. "I can sense it. In so many ways. You and Connor, something happened and it fused you together even more."

They briefly glanced at one another, but neither man commented on that statement.

"Should you decide to trust us with who you are, I give you my word that I will honor that trust."

Casey nodded wordlessly in agreement.

"There is no pressure and I'm in no position to demand this from you. I only want you to understand that there are others you can trust, who won't betray you."

Connor's lips thinned and his fingers briefly clenched, then he nodded. "Thank you."

Will's smile was sincere as he looked at the two firefighters. "Very much appreciated."

"You want to trust him," Will stated when they had closed the door to their home behind them. He flicked on the lights.

Connor was silent, those gray eyes guarded, but with a sliver of the truth visible. Yes, he wanted to trust the powerful Sentinel and yes, he probably did already.

"Yes," he finally said.

"Then do it. Trust him."

Connor was clearly fighting ingrained training, a way of life he had lived for too long. He had never trusted anyone with what he was ever before, not even friends he had had a lifetime ago. Only family had been trusted, never anyone else.

Until first Sharon, then Will.

And suddenly his world had expanded and now there were more. The tight circle of the ED staff who knew would open up to two men outside that family environment. Kelly Severide could be trusted, of that he was sure. The man was fiercely protective and he wouldn't break his word.

Connor would need time to take that step, he knew. And they had time. He would give him that time. Will smiled reassuringly at the other man and Connor's response was a little shaky, but hopeful.

He leaned in and brushed their lips together.

Connor's hands fisted into his shirt and drew him close, lips opening, inviting him in. Will smiled against the kiss, only too happy to follow where this was leading.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okies! The end has arrived. One large chunk of fic for the final chapter. Thank you to all who have been reading and thank you to all those commenting! I didn't expect to get so many readers due to the apparently small size of the fandom. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed cooking up the AU!

Things got more than a little tense when Detective Sergeant Hank Voight appeared on their doorstep.

Alone.

Jay wasn't with him.

Will's eyes narrowed at the shifter and Voight smiled. It wasn't the most reassuring expression and he rarely, if ever, did reassuring unless it involved children or old ladies. His whole bearing was that of an alpha, projecting openly, almost as if to intimidate, but Halstead refused to be intimidated in any way. He felt himself straighten to his full height, shoulders squared.

"Your brother's fine," Voight said before Will could get a word out.

"And good morning to you, too, Sergeant Voight," he snapped, the knot of fear in his gut unravelling; the tension remained.

Subconsciously that had been the first thought: something had happened to Jay.

Voight showed teeth. Even, human teeth, and still Will almost physically stepped back. The man was a menace! He was seriously projecting what he was and it was disconcerting. The mimic didn't feel threatened, just warned; and tested to a degree.

"Can I come in?"

Will's eyes narrowed, then he moved, giving Voight a dark look. It glanced off him.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Right to the point. Like your brother."

The shifter looked around the room, eyes straying to the open doors leading deeper into the house, and he seemed to be taking in the area. Will knew the other man was powerful, old, settled into his Chicago territory, and it showed. Hank Voight had no pack, but he wasn't a loner either. As a fenris he didn't need a pack for emotional stability or comfort. Fenris wolves were by nature loners, but they easily integrated into a pack structure and took over leadership positions. It never happened smoothly. They challenged authority, had their sharp edges, and whoever had one of them under their command would have a hell of a fight to fight when it came to orders, but they were loyal. Extremely loyal.

"Why are you here, Voight?" Will repeated.

"Checking up on you."

"Lots of people have been doing that," he answered wryly. "Always the same answer. I'm fine. And don't tell me you're running the investigation."

Voight chuckled and met Will's eyes. "No. Not unless he runs and starts leaving bodies in his wake, but I doubt it. The boy is crying his eyes out for his girl and baby in a cell, feeling sorry for all he has done. Like shooting people."

Will kept his expression neutral.

"I doubt Prosecution will call on you, Dr. Halstead. There are too many witnesses who were conscious all the time and not dying in a treatment room, so you might not be needed." Voight's eyes narrowed a little. "If they call, I hope you're a good liar."

"What?"

The fenris smiled again and this time it was sharp and full of warning. "I listened to the perp as he spilled his guts. He was convinced he had killed you. It was a gut shot. You weren't just grazed. But I can't even smell the blood on you anymore. There is no wound, now is there?"

Will reflected the smile, refusing to be cowed. Voight laughed, clearly amused.

"Oh, you are good, Doc. Just like your little brother. But Jay isn't as good at hiding his relief. As for you, you have a very expressive face, easy to read. You try to not show what you're feeling, but you do."

"What do you want," he growled, not even making it a question.

"Nothing at all. Just wanted to warn you, in case Prosecution decides you are needed. So far, a friend of mine is keeping your name at the bottom of the list. Everyone involved knows you were out like a light and would not be a good witness."

Will knew he was staring. "What's with the favor?"

"Not a favor. I'm not going to collect on whatever you think I'm getting out of this, Dr. Halstead. If you had been the only witness, you'd be in the stand in no time, no matter how little you can recall. Just remember that you play a role, that you are acting."

He kept staring, brows drawn down, refusing to fall for the bait.

"And tell your mate he's not alone."

Will couldn't keep his reaction in check this time. "We are not mated!" he snapped. "Not bonded either!"

The persistent assumption was really starting to get on his nerves.

"You keep telling yourself that, Halstead. You tell yourself that." The fenris had the audacity to laugh. "I've been around the block a few times. I've met my share of supers and preters. Run of the mill, very common, rare and even exotic ones. Some flaunt it, some never show their stuff. I understand the need to protect what you love. You have the same fire he has, actually." The grin was devious, the eyes reflecting the yellow of the wolf underneath the human façade. "You're a perfect fit. That I understand. That any mated super can understand."

The intensity in the eyes shifted and Will suddenly felt a wave of understanding in turn. Voight had lost his wife, his mate, later his child, and for a shifter that was soul-shattering. That he had survived on his own was statement enough and probably in part due to the pack-like structure of his team.

"I've kept an eye on the two of you. I know what you are, Halstead. I know how you work. You're a mimic."

Will stared at him; hard.

"Like I said, I've met my share of not commonly known preters and supers. I could have a good guess as to what that mate of yours is."

This time the ED surgeon didn't even try to correct him.

Voight regarded him closely, wolfishly. "Not all powerful ones are in leadership positions. Like Severide. The guy is alpha multi-aspect, but serves as a lieutenant under a human without a single enhanced gene. He could be running that show."

"What about you?" Will asked provocatively.

The wolfish smile grew. "Yeah, me. Not much of a pack leader. Not my nature."

"Fenris," Will murmured.

Voight chuckled. "But I like to know who else is out there, assess what kind of trouble I can expect. I figured you two would be trouble. Didn't figure you would be pulling a rebirth so soon, though."

Will froze, face a mask, trying to not react and still reacting.

Voight's dark smile was tell-tale.

"I'm no threat to you or your mate, Halstead. Like I said, I protect mine."

"We're not your team."

"No. Your brother is. You have become persons of interest and now… well, let's say I'm still very interested."

Will's jaw clenched.

"Do you know why no one's after Severide?"

He frowned.

"He's five senses," Voight ticked off on his fingers, "an alpha, powerful. He could be a leader of a pack of wolves and they would respect him, without being one of their own. He's dangerous. But he's just a lieutenant, rescue squad. Why?"

Will was still silent. Yes, he had wondered the same. Most Sentinels of that level ended up in some kind of enforcement.

"They're all looking for his kind. Army, Secret Service, FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, and all those hush-hush, officially non-existent branches. They want an independent, no guide who might keep him back, who's a liability." Voight raised his eyebrows pointedly.

"Casey," Will murmured.

"Yeah, Casey. From the get-go."

"They only recently bonded."

"Looks like it started way earlier, so they kept their distance from him. Same for Rhodes now."

Will glared.

It got him a dark smile again. "Yes, you insist you aren't bonded, but whatever you are toward each other, it takes your guy off the list of potential recruits. You are the liability. Mimicking a phoenix, but the weak link. Rhodes is safe. No one will come hunting him down."

"How do you know all that, Voight?" Will demanded.

It got him a one-sided shrug, the eyes flashing golden for a second. "I have my sources. Tell Rhodes to relax. We have your backs."

"Why? Just because of my brother? Because we're interesting?"

"Yep."

"Not an answer."

"All I'm going to give you."

With one last smirk, Voight turned and headed out. Will watched him get into the car and drive off, then closed the door and leaned against it.

Damn. Damn!

How many more knew or suspected and had never approached them? How many more were protecting them?

Connor looked like he had swallowed a lemon when Will told him about the visit, but part of him showed interest in Voight's declaration.

"You think he really knows?" Will asked.

He shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past him. What intrigues me more is that he thinks I'm no longer of interest to an agency because of you."

Will leaned back in the armchair, smirking. "Hey, they don't know what they're missing!"

Connor chuckled. "Their loss. But seriously…"

Will rose. "Seriously," he said, voice reflecting just how serious he was. "He made sense. Severide's the perfect weapon, but no one's tried to get him away from the CFD. Most likely because of Casey. And you…"

"I'm bound to you?"

Will closed the last shred of distance and twisted his fingers into Will's sweater. "Yes."

"So you're my safety?"

"Kinda?"

Connor kissed him. Slowly. Playfully. "I can live with that."

"And others knowing about us? About you?"

"I can learn to live with that. If you negate me… if you turn me unappealing for a possible enforcement career… I can definitely live with that."

Will smiled at him. "You are very appealing to me, Connor Rhodes."

"Ouch. That's such a bad one."

The next kiss showed that while it was bad, it also worked.

*

He returned to work a week later. Nurses and other staff welcomed him warmly, inquiring into his health, and Will smiled his charming, friendly smile, warded off too intimate questions and simply reassured everyone that he was totally okay. It hadn't been as bad as it had looked. Some physical therapy was needed, but it was muscle damage only. That was the story everyone went by. He would be consulting only, no heavy lifting, no combative patients, and Will wasn't really looking forward to just filing and paperwork. But that was what it took to keep the cover intact.

Sharon had told both Connor and Will that she had held a brief meeting in ED for the staff, reassuring them that their attending ER doctor was doing fine, despite getting shot. She had repeated the cover story about a deep, messy graze, that it had been bloody and looked worse than it was. Ethan had backed her up, standing by her side, pitching in when necessary. April and Maggie also kept repeating their stories to whoever asked.

Connor and Will had talked to not only April, but also Natalie, who had confirmed she had suspected something. She had taken it all in a stride, hugging Will fiercely, simply glad he was okay, that he had survived.

Will took her out for lunch – food truck and a quiet corner – and answered her many questions nevertheless.

Dr. Charles had quietly offered an open ear should Will, or even Connor, need to talk about the experience, but both men had declined. Connor had dealt with dying several times, though for Will it had been the first time. He barely remembered getting shot and no trace of it had remained. He wasn't in pain and he didn't remember pain.

But Daniel's door was always open, so to speak.

"We have good friends," Will remarked as they stood on the rooftop terrace, drinking coffee, enjoying a particularly warm and sunny day.

Connor nodded. "It's… new for me. Still new. Like so many things."

"You'll get used to it."

"Got used to you," he teased, waggling his eyebrows.

"Ow, that hurts, Dr. Rhodes."

"It did take a while," Connor added mischievously. "But it was well worth it."

"Hm, you're not off the hook, but better."

He gave his partner a brief, warm smile. "Changing who I trust… It's not something I've done easily in the past."

Will gently bumped their shoulders together, then emptied his coffee. "You trust them now."

"I know."

"And we won't just up and leave."

"Not planning to."

"Good to know."

Will leaned over and brushed their lips together. They were alone, so the kiss turned long, slow, and deep. Connor pulled back, looking into his eyes, and Will smiled as he cupped the stubbly cheek.

The bond between them resonated with what they were.

He smiled ruefully when a page went off.

"Never a quiet moment," Will murmured and stole one last kiss.

"Never a dull day," Connor agreed.

"Movie tonight?"

"Sounds good. Dinner?"

"There's a new Mexican place near the theater..."

"Pricey, fancy, leave hungry menu or down to earth?"

He laughed as they headed inside. "Very much not fancy."

"You never take me anywhere." Will shot him a fake pout.

Connor grinned, that light, open grin that had Will want to kiss him again. He refrained from doing so as Maggie called out his next patient, shooing him off to trauma two.

He found Jay outside a treatment room, drinking coffee and watching the patient currently being treated, a few hours later.

"Hey. What's up?" Will asked as he signed off on a chart and joined his brother.

"Gunshot victim. Need to get a statement," Jay answered. He was right outside the room, leaning against the station behind him, not inclined to move. "So, got a car yet?"

Will shrugged.

"You have?" Jay chuckled. "Wow. Does it run faster than thirty miles and will get through inspection?"

"It's a lease. Apparently I'm good for reasonable rates on small cars."

"So you didn't involve Connor?"

"No."

Jay shook his head with an eye roll. "The two of you… well, actually, just you… You're the most stubborn idiot I know."

"Hello Jay," Natalie greeted him as she dropped off her own pad and smiled.

"Natalie."

"You're waiting on Mrs. Toms?"

"Yeah."

"You might have to wait a little longer. She showed a strong reaction to the morphine and we do have to take out the bullet."

"Nowhere else to go."

"I can call you when she's out of surgery."

Jay watched her go, then turned back to Will. "So you're an idiot."

The older Halstead rolled his eyes. "Yes, apparently I am. Live with it."

"I'm your brother, Will. I have lived and still am living with it."

"Funny. It's my decision, my life, my money!"

"Yep."

The word 'idiot' was woven in there.

Will briefly closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay. Right. I'm up for lunch. If you want to harass me over my life choices, how about we do it with something to eat? Breakfast was kind of a hit and miss this morning."

Jay shrugged. "You paying?"

"Mooching off food again?"

"Hey, I learned from the best."

They walked toward the exit, bickering.

Lunch was from one the local food trucks outside the hospital. They had good food, so sue him.

Jay didn't complain, but he did order extra sides, shooting Will a devilish look.

They chatted a little, though not about anything too personal and private because people might eavesdrop. Jay mentioned the planned BBQ at the firestation and Will nodded that he and Connor would be there.

He got a call that the shooting victim was awake and ready to be interviewed halfway through and Jay muttered a curse around a mouthful of chili fries.

"Takes ten minutes to get her from post-op to ED," Will told him, stealing some fries.

Jay pushed them into his hands, wiping his mouth. "I'll meet them halfway. Thanks for lunch. See ya!"

Will chuckled and finished off lunch.

ED was the same controlled craze as before.

Maggie was calling out rooms and assigning personnel as emergency cases came in. Someone with possible food poisoning was on their way, as well as someone who had crashed through a glass window. Will got a walk-in with a badly bleeding arm and severe blood loss.

"He walked in?" he asked April over the barely conscious man.

"Yes. He didn't even mention the bad bleed until he keeled over and bled all over the woman next to him."

Will shook his head. "Just another day," he murmured.

April chuckled.

Yes, just another day.

*

Time and Connor's… absolute normalcy helped in Will's acceptance of their financial differences. Living together had been step number one. Living in a normal house, no employees, no personnel, just two men and the normal chaos of a household. There were fights, there were arguments, they made up, they had good days, perfect days, and some crappy days.

Normal.

Connor didn't frivolously spend money on fancy cars or outrageously priced outfits.

He was normal.

Like he had always been.

Will finally caved and gave back the small car, terminated the lease, and bought a new, normal-sized car that fit more than two people and a handbag. His loans were taken care off, taking a massive load off his shoulders, and even though Connor wrapped it into a bow and called it his birthday-Christmas-whatever-holiday-and-anniversary gift for the next ten years, Will could only shake his head.

"Just accept it," Connor almost pleaded.

"Wasn't planning not to."

It got him a brilliant, open smile.

The situation with Dr. Ava Bekker didn't get any better, but also not too much worse. She was incredibly competitive, pushing at Connor to get a rise out of him, manipulating Dr. Latham into presenting her as a lead surgeon on a difficult case, trying to actively transfer some of Connor's cases to her own.

"Nice," Will commented one evening over really good spaghetti. "So she's a bitch."

Connor shrugged, looking more laid back than he should have any right to be in this situation. "She wants to advance. She would go over dead bodies; colleagues and patients alike. Ava is talented, has a good eye, but she lacks on the empathetic level. Which, in this field, is actually more of a plus point." He raised his eyebrows. "She decides purely on facts, not emotions."

"She wants brownie points," Will translated. "Bedside manner be damned."

"Yep. More or less told me so."

So far she hadn't outdone her fellow surgeon, especially since Connor was an excellent trauma surgeon on top of having rather unconventional approaches to complicated surgeries. He still did his rotations in ED, volunteered when a doctor was needed, while Ava held back and watched it all with almost disdain.

"Who does she want to impress? Latham? Don't tell me she wants to head Cardio."

"I think she's gearing for bigger and better and much greener pastures. Med is only a stop to get more commendations. I think Johns Hopkins or Mayo would be her dream come true."

"And you've got all the time and money in the world to be the most patient doctor in the history of Med?" Will teased, wiping the last spaghetti sauce off his plate with some bread.

Connor chuckled. "In a way. It's also a lot of fun."

Will laughed out loud and shook his head. "She try to get you into bed yet?"

"With aggressive flirting and hair-pulling?"

"Oh, so she has!" He winked.

"Not interested."

"No?"

"No."

Will smiled. Connor mirrored the smile.

"Does she know about us?"

"She never asked. Not sure a significant other would stop her."

"And a bonded?"

Connor's expression shifted from stunned to thoughtful to something that looked almost hopeful. "We aren't."

"Yeah, I know. At least not textbook bonded."

The brows drew down.

"I think," Will said slowly, never leaving those gray eyes, "that we might have something of a connection that surpasses mimicry or anchoring. It's not like a shifter with a mate, or a Sentinel with a guide. It's… us. I'm a phoenix and can still be whoever else I decide to mimic. I can anchor others, still logged onto you. I'm not sure that this, whatever it is, can be broken again."

Connor's expression was suddenly intense, burning, and Will felt the shift, quite aware of the flare of energy.

"I don't want it to break," the phoenix said softly. "I like the… bond-thing."

"Bond-thing," Halstead echoed.

"You know what I mean."

He smirked. "Only too well. And 'bond-thing' is kind of right."

Whatever it was, it was only them.

And no, it didn't get better. Ava was driven, single-minded and looking for any case or consultation that would get her mentioned as an extraordinary surgeon.

Connor refused to rise to her baiting and taunts, doing his job with confidence and competence. He also refused to let her get any closer and when she aggressively approached him about drinks after a function, Connor simply turned her down.

"Girlfriend waiting?" she teased.

Connor met the provocative smile with a lazy one of his own, placed the glass of champagne he had been sipping from on a passing waiter's plate, then simply left her standing where she was.

*

"I'm glad my uncle has you now."

Will sipped from his coffee, eyes briefly flying over the shoppers he could see from his vantage point. The restaurant was still rather empty and they had a perfectly private spot with a good view of the floors below. Dolan Rhodes was brimming with shoppers spending a load of money on, Will's opinion, over-priced stuff no one really needed. But hey, it was his opinion and his alone.

"I've never seen him more happy than now," Claire added with a fine smile.

Will blinked, tearing his eyes away from the opulent Christmas decorations already up everywhere. Thankfully there was no noise and music reaching him here. Outside it was Jingle Bells all the way.

"You know how my father is," she continued. "They never see eye to eye. He hates that his brother got the wonderful and amazing abilities and he is just a mundane human. He never understood the price it comes with, and he probably never will."

"But you do?"

She nodded. "I've seen what it did to Connor. I've seen the shadows. I've seen what a rebirth does to him. I grew up with Connor being different, was raised to protect him, play his sister when the age difference was no longer for anyone to see, and I was always there when he visited. When he met you… he was suddenly different."

"Yeah, well, we met… explosively."

Claire smiled more. "You are good together. Connor's more open and relaxed, enjoys himself. That was you, Will. You gave him back his life. Thank you."

"Uhm, not sure you need to thank me for that, actually. I like your uncle. A lot."

"You love him," she translated.

Will shrugged, poking at his dessert.

"I'm just happy. For him. For you. For my family. He's no longer alone."

No, he wasn't. And he had more than Will. He had friends who knew and accepted what he was without so much as a second look.

They finished lunch, talking about this and that, about the soon coming Christmas Madness, which meant even more shoppers at Dolan Rhodes and hundreds of Christmas accidents walking, limping or being wheeled into the ED.

"Your niece says hello."

Connor looked up from where he had been immersed in some file or other, brows furrowing. "Claire?"

"You have more than one?" Will hung up his jacket and slipped on the white doctor's coat.

"How is she?"

"Happy. Stressed. Wondering how to survive Christmas season."

It got him a little smile. "Same as every year then."

"Yep."

"Med's having a Christmas fundraiser," Connor said and held out the tablet. "Attending mandatory."

Will grimaced. "Sign me up for the ED shifts. Please!"

The other man chuckled. "Sharon already burst that bubble for me."

He skimmed over the invitation and raised his eyebrows. "Plus one?"

"Yep. You."

"Me?! Connor, I'm definitely going to be on ED shift!"

"Nope. I checked."

"I will be now!"

Connor gave him his best puppy eyes.

"Take Bekker," he growled.

"Hell no!"

He chuckled. "Black tie events give me hives. I hate the schmoozing."

"You're good at schmoozing. Everyone will fall for the Halstead charm. Turn up that smile and you have them eating out of your hand."

Will groaned.

"And it will probably piss off Bekker," Connor added conversationally.

It had him laugh out loud. "Now we get to the real reason!" Because if Connor only wanted arm candy, he could have picked up anyone else for one night and presented her as his plus one.

Connor smiled devilishly, then gave him a little peck as the ambo bay announced incoming.

The fundraiser was as bad as Will had predicted, expected and feared, but the way Dr. Ava Bekker's face underwent several expressions as she saw the two men was well worth it. There was no mistaking their arrival together.

Connor was all suave politeness, talking with those forking over a lot of money, tax-deductible, of course, with an ease Will had to admire. Cornelius Rhodes was among the crowd, shooting them assessing looks, and so far Will had avoided the man mainly because Connor was steering them clear of his brother. He wished he would get a call to come down to ED because they were swamped or whatever.

Alas, no such luck.

"Dr. Halstead," Ava said coolly.

"Dr. Bekker," he replied amiably.

Connor was currently talking to a regular donor of cold, hard cash about some kind of new procedure.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she said.

"And still, here I am."

"Did Dr. Rhodes run out of other options? Like an escort?" she taunted, smile sharp and unfriendly.

Will smiled, just as cool as her, eyes never reflecting that smile.

A hand briefly touched the small of his back and suddenly Connor was there, his own smile as polite and shark-like as any politicians.

"Ava."

"Connor." Her eyes flashed between the two of them. "I see."

Connor's brows were drawn down, a sharp-edged warning in his very posture.

And then she walked over to where Cornelius stood, flashing him a bright smile and engaging him in some kind of talk.

"Huh," Will muttered. "Intense much? She really has a problem with you."

Connor's narrowed eyes and tense posture spoke volumes as he watched her and Cornelius.

"Can we safely get out of here without drawing anyone's wrath?" Will asked lightly.

"Probably."

"Then I'm all for bailing."

"Got hives yet?" came the humor-filled teasing.

"Big, itchy patches of them," he replied.

Connor's tension was still there and he was radiating it as he watched his brother and Bekker. Ava was smiling at the other Rhodes, almost flirty.

"Wow," Will muttered.

"Good luck with that," Connor added in the same, low tone. "He might just take her up on that offer."

They did leave within the next thirty minutes and Will breathed in the cold, sharp air with a sigh of relief.

"Never ask me to come to these things ever again!" he told his partner.

"Well, you are my first choice of a plus one, Will…"

"Hire someone!" he snapped.

Connor grinned and pulled him into a kiss. "I'd rather go there with you. Or alone."

"To share the misery?"

"Kinda."

"Still not interested. I can't stand the fake smiles and high and mighty attitude."

"Neither can I, but it's part and parcel of my job."

"You're a first-class surgeon, not on the Board."

"Nope. Just a way to get more money." Connor shrugged. "It's not so bad."

"Speak for yourself. You grew up with that freak show. I'd rather pull double in ED than another moment in the shark tank."

It got him another kiss and he forgot about his complaints for a while, enjoying the man in his arms.

"This I like," Will murmured when they parted.

"Hm, yeah."

"And you look hot in that tux."

Connor burst out laughing, pulling him into a tight hug and another kiss. "So do you."

"And out of it."

"Ditto. How about we see that we get out of those tuxes then?" Connor asked slyly.

"Best I heard all night!"

*

"So it's official now?"

Will frowned at the words. Kelly Severide smiled innocently.

"You're bonded."

"So everyone keeps telling me and I keep telling everyone we're not."

"But you are now. Whatever this is, it's final now."

Will shrugged. "Okay, yeah, maybe."

Molly's was pleasantly low-key this evening, mostly everyone at home to enjoy the holidays with their family. Connor wasn't much into celebrations and Molly's wouldn't close for another three hours. So they had come here after their shift to relax.

It hadn't been much of a surprise to find half the firestation still here.

"Congrats," Matt acknowledged. "Finally."

Sharon had registered them as bonded in the hospital files, especially for cases of emergencies or next of kin decisions. Other than that, no mention of what they truly were had been made.

"Cheers," Kelly added.

Colorful lights sparkled in the windows and the laughter from the firefighters washed over them. There was a rather garish Christmas tree in one corner, thanks to the combined efforts of Cruz and Otiz. It was an eye-sore, but Herrmann refused to throw it out. It was unique, as he called it. It would stay.

Neither of them stayed till closing time.

Connor had one last surgery before the holidays and Will had picked up a shift voluntarily since Jeff Clarke had finally proposed and he and Natalie were leaving for a brief vacation.

Connor pressed a kiss against his neck and curled in close as they went to bed.

Will grinned. He was in a cuddly mood again, which was just fine with Will. He threaded his fingers through Connor's hand and pulled it to rest on his stomach. The connection between them was strong and heavy in his mind, soothing and warm.

It was how he fell asleep, listening to his partner's soft breathing lulling him into sleep.


End file.
